Dragon Ball XVI
by Elbadj
Summary: The Shadow Dragons strike fear into the hearts of the populace and with the Z-Fighters identities known to the public, they begin to become the focus point of the people's anger over their perceived unwillingness to help. Meanwhile, in the wider galaxy, Kuriza becomes concerned as subversive elements push the Interplanetary Federation to the brink of a civil war.
1. Prologue: The Black Hole in the Basement

**Prologue**

_The Black Hole in the Basement_

* * *

><p>The little girl, about six-years old, sat at the table and quietly ate her food. It was dark outside and the low watt bulb just about provided light for the room. She was sat at a small table in the middle of a run-down kitchen, the units unclean and greasy. Her head and shoulders cleared the top of the wooden table, and she had to lean her arms up in order to cut the food.<p>

There was no noise apart from the creak of house.

She carried on in silence, oblivious to her surroundings. Then, above her and distantly, she began to perceive a sound. Like something falling, only much faster and with much greater force. The noise whipped by overhead and then there as sudden rumbling sound and a vibrating of the room. She looked over her shoulder, to the window behind her. She couldn't see anything outside. But she had definitely heard and felt something. Curious she put her fork down, with the piece of beef on the end of it, and hopped off her chair. She made her way out of the kitchen and down the wooden corridor. She reached up and opened the door. Stepping outside she walked down a cluttered and overgrown pathway. She could hear a faint hissing noise in the air and followed it across the small brown field outside the house, which stood alone.

She came across a few pots of ground that were blown out, a shallow path of mud stretching between them. This then led to a larger crater, over the top of which she could see a metallic sphere. She quickened her pace and came to the edge of the crater. In the centre of it was a large metallic sphere. The smoke and noise was emanating from it. She could hear words being spoken in anger, but they were ones she had not heard before. There was a snapping sound, followed by a hiss, and a door opened and a man with extremely long hair tumbled out and collapsed onto his back.

The man gave a wheeze of pain and clutched his side. He wore armour that was broken in several places, and blood leaked down his arm and across his body. His face was bruised, and he had a funny device that slid over one ear and had a coloured glass over his eye. His hair was long, extremely long, black and spiky and disappeared under his body.

The man groaned and opened his eyes. He blinked, spotting the girl, dressed in a thin nightgown, with shoulder length black and white hair, at the top of the crater, staring down at him.

"What do you want?" Raditz growled.

"Nothing," the girl said. "Just looking at you." She cocked her head. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not crying!" he spat, whilst wiping his eyes. "Saiyan warriors do not cry!"

"You look like you're hurt. Nobody would blame you if you cried. I cry all the time when I get hurt, even for little scratches."

"Yeah well that's because you're a baby." Raditz groaned as he rolled over and pulled himself to his feet, clutching his side.

The girl puffed her cheeks. "I am not a baby! I'm six years old!"

"Yeah, yeah…" He tapped his scouter and it blipped onto the girl.

_7-_

No other readings were picked up in the immediate area. "Kid when I was your age I was already being sent out to genocide planets, trust me you're a baby in comparison."

"What's genocide?"

"Nothing you need concern yourself with. Hopefully for all your life."

He tapped his scouter and looked around. No other readings were being picked up. "You out here all alone?" he asked.

"Yeah, all by myself." She spoke with a note of pride.

"Huh…" He tapped his scouter, turning it off. He moved the hand at his side and winced, hissing in pain again. "Do you live anywhere, or are you just sitting in the field?"

"I live in the house up there. Do you want to come?"

"Sure. Do you have any medical stuff?"

"Maybe. I can check for you."

"Thanks…" He gave her a quizzical look and then shook his head. He clambered out of the crater and the girl led him along the field. The grass crunched underneath his boots and he glanced around at it. There was nothing out there for miles, though he thought he could see some mountains in the distance. He looked up. A starry and clear night, but no moon.

"No moon…" he muttered.

"Huh?" the girl asked, looking over her shoulder.

"There's no moon on this planet."

The girl looked shocked. "Of course there's no moon. If there was a moon the great beasts would come and kill everyone!"

Despite himself Raditz smirked. Their reputation travelled fast it seemed.

They carried on in silence for a moment.

"There's the house," the girl announced, pointing forward. She sounded excited.

Raditz looked up. The house was large, three floors, and seemed to stretch out onto the back. It also looked old. Very old. The wood was crooked and weather beaten, parts of it looked like they were crumbling.

"Is it safe?" Raditz asked.

"Of course it is!" the girl replied. "This is really fun, I've never had people over to the house before."

"I can see why…" He looked around at the area again. Nothing there.

They stepped inside and she led him down the corridor to the kitchen, Raditz stepping gingerly as each footstep caused a loud creaking sound that he did not like. Much of the house was wreathed in darkness, the various low watt bulbs shedding very little light on the area. For some reason Raditz was very unnerved by the whole experience. He couldn't find the reason, when he probed himself for the information though. He settled on the idea that it must be because he was injured and therefore not in a fit state for battle. That had to be it.

He grimaced. Stupid job. He'd been misinformed about the make-up of the population. There had actually been some competent fighters, with some strong technology on the planet. It had not been as easy as he had been told it would be. Now that he thought of it, he could have sworn he detected a smirk on Zarbon's green face when he handed the assignment over to him. Stupid asshole, when Raditz got back he punch him right on his precious nose.

He wouldn't of course. And if he punched Zarbon the most he would get in reply would be a howl of laughter as his fist bounced off of him, which would only humiliate Raditz further. Not to mention he could hardly admit he had trouble, lest he endure the mocking of Nappa and Vegeta. He clenched his fist. Damn them. Weren't they all in this together? Why did they keep picking on him then? Typical bullies, all of them, always kicking at the people beneath them.

This was obviously why he was diverted from his original path from Frieza planet 63. He'd be damned if he turned up looking badly injured from what was meant to be a routine and easy assignment. Of course, the stupid pod had then developed a fault, probably as a result of getting hit by the assigned planet's defences. He had only just managed to correct it, when he found himself faced with crash landing on this desolate rock, out in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of nowhere.

"Do you want food?"

"Huh?" Raditz's head snapped up. He realised, now, that he had zoned out and followed the girl automatically into the kitchen. She was looking up at him with a slightly quizzical look. "Sorry what did you say?"

"I said," the girl began, with exaggerated exasperation, letting him know that this was not the first time she was repeating her question, "do you want food?"

"Of course! Uh… that is… if you've got some to spare."

"Well… I've got the remains of my food. It's not much and a little cold now, but I could do you something more if you wanted."

Raditz looked at her plate of food. It wasn't much and his stomach hurt. But he didn't want to deprive her of all the food in the house or make too much for her. Quieting his Saiyan urges he smiled at the girl. "That'll be fine, thank you," he said. "You just work on finding the medical stuff for me." At those words he suddenly became conscious that he must have been bleeding onto the floor. He looked down, blushing, and then blinked. He turned his head and looked behind him.

No bloodstains.

That isn't… possible… He knew he was bleeding out, he had to be. So where had the stains gone?

"Is this okay?"

He looked up. The little girl had manoeuvred a chair over to a cabinet side and was standing on top of it. In her hand she held up some bandages and what looked like a spray of some sort. "This is all the medical stuff we have," the girl said. "I hope it will be enough for you."

Raditz took the spray bottle and glanced over it. He held it over a cut on his arm and sprayed it. It stung. Badly. He grimaced and then looked down at his hand. The cut on it had stopped bleeding and the skin looked like it was beginning to heal over. He grinned at the girl. "This will be perfect."

The girl smiled brightly and hopped down from the chair. Raditz seated himself at the table, in front of the food, and carefully administered the spray to his other body parts, taking off his battered and broken armour first. It had the same effect, though the pain was more intense the greater the damage was. After he had done this he carefully wrapped the bandages over the wounds and the girl supplied a pin with which to hold it together. Satisfied that his body was not going to fall apart, Raditz nodded his approval and began to eat the food, whilst silently attempting to calculate how much his power would increase by.

"This is really good," he said after a moment, through a stuffed mouth. He meant it as well. It was good. And not just in comparison with the gloop they normally got served by the canteen.

"I cooked it myself!" the girl declared with pride.

"That's… incredible…" Raditz frowned a little and glanced down at his food. "So where's your mom and dad?" he asked, eating some more.

The girl shrugged. "I don't know. They've gone."

"Gone?"

She nodded.

"And that doesn't bother you?"

"Should it?" She cocked her head. "Everyone else has gone too."

"Everyone else?"

"There used to be people who'd come by. Neighbours and people. They'd say things to me. Call me names. Throw stones at me. That's how I'd often get hurt. But I always had that spray to heal me."

"Throw stones at you?" Now he was even more puzzled. "Why would they do that?"

The girl shrugged. "They'd call me a demon child." She puffed her cheeks a little. Then shook her head. "I don't understand people. I never did them any wrong, I just tried to be friendly."

"And what happened to them?"

"I don't know. One day they just stopped turning up."

"And you never wondered?"

"Why would I? They didn't like me and I didn't like them."

"What about your parents?"

She shrugged and kept her mouth shut.

Strange… and stranger… Raditz ate some more of the food. Just what is going on in the place?

"Do you have parents?" she asked suddenly.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I do. That is… I did."

"You did?"

"They're all gone now. Dead. They were killed. An accident a asteroid slammed into my home planet and killed them all." He sat back in his chair a little and was silent for a moment. "Mom, Dad… even my little brother… There's only three of us left now, that is my people."

The little girl snorted and looked down. Raditz narrowed his eyes. She giggled.

"What's so funny?" he asked, voice terse.

"Your people got killed by an asteroid," she said, holding back laughter.

"Listen kid I'd shut up if I were you," Raditz growled. "I've killed people younger than you and I won't have many compunctions about doing it again."

The girl's head snapped up. She stared into Raditz's eyes and then recoiled a little in fear. She sniffed and dropped her head. "I'm sorry," she said. "I… I just thought it was funny that… that a race of people who can travel in ships, across space, got caught out by an asteroid… I mean, wouldn't they have seen it coming?"

Raditz glared at the girl. Then his expression softened and he sat back. He had to admit, it was a question that had occurred to him often. Unfortunately one didn't ask awkward questions of Frieza, not if they had any sense. And Raditz had had quite a lot beaten into him over the years.

"I don't know," he said after a moment. "But they didn't and they're gone."

"…Sorry…"

"It was years ago now, I don't think on it much. Besides, I hated my father."

The girl sniffed some more.

"What are you crying for you big baby?" Raditz said.

"You're being mean!" the girl cried. "And I'm not a baby!"

"Yes you are. Baby, baby," he teased, in a cooing tone, watching her grow frustrated at his remarks.

"I am not!" she screamed.

Suddenly Raditz's scouter bleeped - a warning.

"What the -?" he tapped at the scouter.

_1,000-_

That was as strong as him! "But that's not possible!" he breathed, tapping the scouter to find out where it was. "There's nobody on this place except…" The scouter locked in - on the girl. Raditz's eyes widened. But that wasn't possible! Her power level was seven. It had to be broken!

"Are you okay?" the girl asked, her frustration gone, replaced by curiosity. "You look panicked."

Raditz tapped at the scouter. It locked onto the girl:

_7-_

He sighed. Stupid thing. "It's just this piece of machinery," he said, pointing at the scouter. "It screws up sometimes. Almost gave me a heart attack."

"Oh? What does it do?"

"Reads 'battle power'," he said. "It gives a reading of someone's strength and allows for a numerical comparison of opponents." He paused. "Supposedly. Half the time I think it's just making it up as it goes along."

The girl laughed. Raditz smiled a little and finished the food. It was good and surprisingly filling. But he suspected that he would need more. He had to be on his way, or else he'd be getting into trouble. Besides, he still didn't much like the house. There was something off about it, from what he'd already seen, and he didn't want to see much more of it.

He stood up. The girl looked up at him. "Thank you for your hospitality," he said. "But I have to be on my way."

"Don't go," she said. "I haven't talked with anyone in ages."

"I have to."

"But… But… I haven't shown you the thing yet."

"What thing?"

"The black hole. In the basement." She cocked her head.

Raditz's eyes widened. "That isn't possible."

"Yes it is," she said, a hint of triumph in her voice at having kept his attention. "I'll show you."

She hopped off her chair and walked out of the kitchen.

"No, it really isn't," Raditz said, following her. "If there was a black hole down there, this whole planet, not just this house, would be gone. Unless we're on the event horizon, which also isn't possible because my ship and my scouter would have alerted me to that fact." He followed her along the corridor, the wood creaking as he walked, passing through the shadows separated by the dim light. She hauled open a door, beneath a staircase, and walked down a narrow set of stairs. Raditz hunched himself and followed after her. The corridor was pitch-black and Raditz turned on the light of his scouter, so that he could see the girl in front of him.

"What is with this place?" he wondered aloud.

"Huh?" the girl replied.

"This place. This house is really old, and I mean really. The wood is being eaten away at, but it stands. The dust is everywhere. And more to the point my…" He paused. The girl seemed utterly oblivious to the nature of the house around her and he didn't want to completely freak her out by saying that his trail of blood had disappeared.

"My what?" she asked.

"My scouter isn't picking up any life signs on the whole planet, apart from you and me," he said.

"So? I thought you said that thing made it up as it went along?"

"Yes but…"

They reached the bottom of the stairs and the girl turned right into another small corridor. Raditz followed her to a small door.

"But what?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just wondering where the food came from."

The girl shrugged. "I don't know. It's there."

He raised an eyebrow at her and then looked up. "Is this it?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Behind here is the black hole?"

She nodded again.

"Okay then…" He stepped forward and reached out with his right hand. He nudged the door with his finger and it swung open. The room was dark. Dark except for twenty-eight white lights, twinkling brightly in the corner of the room. Raditz frowned at them and stepped forward.

"Be careful!" the girl shrieked, gripping onto his leg. "It's dangerous."

"I'm okay," Raditz replied, putting his hand on her head. He stepped forward a bit more and looked around the room. He fumbled his hand along the wall next to the doorframe and found a switch. He flipped it and the low level light came on. It illuminated the room, which was small and bare. Except for one corner. In that corner an intense darkness sat, seeming to draw the light to it, so it shone brighter at its extremities. The only thing coming from within the darkness was the twenty-eight white lights. "That's… strange…" Raditz stepped forward, pushing the girl back. She clung to the side of the door, sweating a little.

He crept forward. He didn't feel any increase in gravity as he got closer, nor did his scouter give off any warnings. He got closer… and closer… and closer… he was now only a few steps away from the mass of darkness, with the white lights in it. He reached out with his hand…

"Don't -!" the girl cried.

His fingers brushed against the darkness. It felt… solid… and cold, colder than anything he'd felt before…

"Kakarott…" a voice said, floating around the room.

"What?" Raditz's head snapped. That name… that was his brother's name. But what…?

Suddenly images assaulted his eyes. There was his brother, a baby, crying and fighting against the grip of an elderly man - his brother, older now, staring at a gold ball on a mantel piece - fighting against an army - leaping forward, a red light blazing around him against… Frieza?

Raditz stumbled backwards and fell onto the ground. The images ceased. He panted and stared at the darkness. Then he looked up and over his shoulder. The girl was there, crouched down, her knees pulled up to her chin, her arms hugging her legs. She looked up and stared at Raditz.

"Where were you?" she whispered.

"What?

"You disappeared… You were gone for hours…" She turned her head to the side. "You left me…"

"But… how…?" He glanced back at the mass of darkness. "I was here, for only a few seconds, I…" He thought on what had happened. He had heard a voice, had seen things. His younger brother, he must have been the hair was identical to his father's, living, alive and… challenging Frieza? It didn't seem possible… and yet…

He stepped back from the darkness. If he wasn't sure before he was now. He had to get out of this place. This place… it was more than strange. And he felt that its behaviour, its strangeness, had a lot to do with the mass of darkness that he was looking at now. Whatever it was it was not a black hole. It was something else. Something more…

But that vision. He couldn't get it out of his head. And somehow he thought it was true. Somehow, he felt it had to be.

He turned and started towards the door.

"Where are you going?" the little girl said, jumping to her feet as Raditz walked past her. She pursued him along the corridor and up the stairs. "Where are you going? Talk to me! Answer me!"

"I'm going to find my brother," Raditz said, stopping at the top of the stairs. "I saw a vision. They… showed me that he was alive. And more than that…" He paused and then carried on along the corridor.

"But… but you'll go without me… you'll leave me…"

"I have to. There's no extra room in the pod, not in this one."

He needed to report in as well. He had to tell Vegeta and Nappa about this. Though he felt he'd keep the whole of the vision to himself… that would sound ludicrous…

"Leave me alone… here…"

_Blip… blip… blip…_

He'd make something up; perhaps even allow them to think it was weakness that he was doing this. Something about needing help to attack a planet…

"Don't… Don't go…"

_Blip… blip… blip…_

The records, he would be able to get them from the database. If Kakarott had left on a pod then he'd be able to find the records. He seemed to recall that he had had a weak power, or so he'd been told, so he would have been sent to a planet with low power levels.

"Stay with me… Don't be like the others… don't leave me…"

_Blip… Blip… Blip…_

Raditz snapped out of his thought process. He had stepped through the front door. And he now noticed that his scouter was making noises. That dull blipping sound. Annoyed he tapped it to find out what was wrong.

_10,000^_

His eyes popped. Where had that…!?

Slowly he turned around. Behind him was the girl. Crying, looking down at her feet, mumbling to herself. The scouter locked onto her, the source of the power. Which kept rising.

"Go then…" the girl snuffled. "Be like the others. Leave me all alone. Like my parents. Like the neighbour… think of me like them…"

_20,000^_

Raditz took a step back.

"Listen… listen to me…" he said, voice shaky. "This place… is doing something to you, that thing downstairs is… I need you to listen to me…"

She shook her head.

_40,000^_

"You're a liar…" the girl growled. "I hate you! I wish you'd never come here!"

"What are you?"

"Go away!" The girl raised her head as she screamed at him, her eyes narrowed tight and her fists balled.

The scouter screeched and then cut out.

Raditz trembled. Silently, at the back of his mind, he was thankful for the circuit breaker he had installed on the machine, otherwise his eye could have been gone as it overloaded. But at the forefront of his mind was his concern with the power output reading, the last one he'd seen before the machine cut out.

_600,000^_

The kid was more powerful than Frieza. And still rising.

"Listen to me…" Raditz began, his voice shaking a little. He struggled to get it under control. He took a few steps forward. "I'm going to get you out of this place… But I can't right now, I can tell you that. But I can get you out of here."

The girl looked at him. Her eyes started to calm.

"I need to go find my brother. And after I've got him I can come back here and I will get you." Raditz looked down at her, bending his body lower so that he was almost level with her. "I don't know what's going on here and I don't know what that thing is in your basement. But your parents didn't leave you, not intentionally. And the neighbours didn't go away on their own either. Nor did all life on this planet just disappear. Something is going on. And I will take you away from this."

"Do you… do you promise…?" She looked at him, with a mix of hope and distrust. She wanted to believe but at the same time…

Though he wasn't well practiced in it, Raditz gave her a warm smile. "I promise. As soon as I've got my brother, I'll be back here to get you."

She stared into his eyes. And then she smiled. Happy now.

"I'll be waiting," she said. "I'll be sitting right here and waiting."

Raditz scrunched her hair and stepped back.

"Soon, I'll be back soon."

He nodded at her. She smiled back and sat on the front step.

"I hope you manage to find your brother," she said. "Maybe your other family is still out there. Maybe mine is too!"

"Perhaps," he replied. "We can always hope."

She smiled to herself, content.

Raditz made his way down the path. He clambered over the lip of the crater and then stepped into his pod. He sat back in it and typed in the commands. The pod door closed and the thrusters powered on. The pod began to levitate off of the ground. The little girl looked up, following the slow rise of the pod. She thought she could see him, through the view port of the pod. She waved at him.

Then the pod thundered upwards, streaking into the dark sky above.

The little girl sat back and drew her legs up to her body. She rested her chin on her knees.

And she waited.

* * *

><p><em>So here we are again.<em>

_Hello everyone and welcome to Dragon Ball XVI. The follow-on to Dragon Ball XV. Now I wasn't sure about doing this, but eventually decided 'what the hell' and went for it. The idea was kicking around and wouldn't go away. Hence the stinger at the end of XV._

_For the uninitiated - XVI can be read without having read XV (there'll be a synopsis of the events there at the start of the first proper chapter - i.e. the next one) and this prologue contains no information that needed to be known from the previous story. Whatever your reason for popping along to this story, know that you are very welcome and I hope you enjoy it!_

_This prologue doesn't have much to do with the story description. But it will do, eventually. There's some important ground information being introduced here (to which I will say nothing other than the number of lights is specified for a reason) - even if it does look like the story of an out-of-character Raditz finding himself in an Edgar Allen Poe mystery ;)_

_Obviously Raditz never makes it back, this takes place about a week before his fateful trip to Earth. (Incidentally how did he ever find out that Goku was alive in canon?)_

_Just in case it wasn't clear, the '-' and '^' symbols on the scouter represent a stable power level and a rising one respectively. Scouters overload on the basis of a rapid increase in power, not on the actual scale of the power itself, so Raditz or anyone else being able to read Frieza's power level (when he's not powering up) works that way._

_Update wise there will probably be one at the end of this month, to kick things off, and after that it'll likely be once a month (due to real life commitments and another project I'm working on)._

_A final note of caution: this is currently a 'T' rating, but it may be getting bumped up. This could well get pretty dark and it's going to go outside the bounds of a conventional DBZ story (much more so than XV did). So, yeah, fair warning in advance._

_Other than that, it leaves me to say thank you all, as ever, for reading and reviewing (I hope!) and that I hope you enjoy story to come!_


	2. Episode One: The Shadow Dragons

**Synopsis of Dragon Ball XV**

* * *

><p>Fifteen years after the events of Dragon Ball Z, our heroes are now suffering from the mental and physical struggles of old age. In particular Goku and Vegeta are dealing with the problem of advanced aging. Saiyans being a warrior race have an extended youthful period, but the consequence of this is that past a certain age they begin to age much more rapidly than an ordinary human would.<p>

Despite this, those fifteen years have been of a peaceful nature. Trunks is engaged to Estella, an employee of Capsule Corp. whilst Gohan is now a world-renowend physicist. Whilst at a conference Gohan learns of the destruction of planet Namek. Not suspecting that anything is wrong he informs the others of what is taken to be a great personal tragedy for them. Piccolo, however, voices some concern about the extent to which it was a natural phenomenon.

Meanwhile two aliens land on the planet and are confronted by Trunks and Goten. After a short battle the lead alien is revealed to be Kuriza, the long lost and estranged son of Frieza. Kuriza tells the Z-fighters of a threat facing the galaxy, that warriors with a symbol affixed to them are attacking worlds under the Planet Trade Oraganization's protection. He draws this symbol and the Z-fighters recognise it as the symbol of Babidi - the Majin.

Observing this from Otherworld the Elder Kai is greatly disturbed by what this means. Before he can inform Kibitokai of his thoughts, though, he is confronted by Majin Maladie, the leader of the Majin. Once, long ago, the Kais and the Majin had been competitors in the galaxy. A splinter group of the Kai's had genocided the Majin and Maladie had hidden a few members of this people away. Now they were back to seek revenge. Maladie kills the Elder Kai and then strikes him again, when he has died. Before the Elder Kai's body can disappear he tells Kibitokai to seek out the secret history.

The Z-fighters head out with Kuriza to confront the Majin, especially upon learning that they were responsible for the destruction of Namek. They have, however, fallen into a trap. Kuriza is under Majin control and they are confronted by one of the Majin, named Feles, on a distant planet. Though they defeat Feles, they are attacked by Kuriza's flagship - which is really controlled by the Majin Excidium and Instans. The ship then leaves. Meanwhile Earth falls under the attack of the Majin. Pan and Uub head out to fight them, however Uub and Pan are both defeated, and Maladie's plan is revealed. He extracts the Buu from Uub's body and intends to fuse himself with it, creating the ultimate warrior. Uub is left in shock at the loss of his powers, and at the revelation that he was once the evil Buu.

The Z-fighters return to Earth and attack the Majin. Goku is confronted with Pan, under the spell of the Majin and, with great difficulty defeats her. Vegeta battles and narrowly wins against Kuriza, as Yamcha, Piccolo, Tien and Krillin just manage to defeat Instans, though it comes at the sacrifice of Eighteen, devastating Krillin. as Goten and Trunks, fused into Gotenks, defeat a Majin who controls Frieza and Cell, killing Cell during the conflict. Frieza reveals himself to have never been under the Majin's control, but his attack on the now defused Trunks and Goten is halted by the arrival of Kuriza. Seeing his son for the first time in his life seems to spark something in Frieza and, rather than fight, he kills himself, emotionally scarring Kuriza.

Gohan defeats Majin Excidium, but is unable to overcome Maladie, now that he has fused with Buu. Kibitokai learns of the history of his people and seeks out the aide of Dabura, who establish what Maladie's plan is. The Otherworld is not, in fact, a heavenly realm but is constructed by taking half of the galaxy out of sync with the rest of it. Maladie's plan is to pull the Otherworld back into sync, but the consequences of that would be the destruction of most of the galaxy. Maladie puts his plan into action, attempting to reverse the spell that put Otherworld and the Earth realm out of sync. To stop him Kibitokai and Dabura call on the aide of all of Otherworld, including those in Hell, to use their energy to repel Maladie's attempt. They are successful. In the ensuing confusion of celebrations, Cooler murders his father and escapes.

Vegeta and Goku, healed by Dende, join up to confront Maladie and successfully fuse to form Gogeta. After a brutal battle, they narrowly triumph, saving the galaxy.

Six months pass and Trunks marries Estella. Meanwhile an organization calling themselves the Shadow Dragons murder a kidnapped woman, whilst taunting the Z-fighters about their inability to save her...

* * *

><p><strong>Dragon Ball XVI: Part I<br>**

Episode One

_The Shadow Dragons_

* * *

><p>The phone was picked up on the third ring.<p>

"Hello," the woman at the other end answered. "Commander Fox's office?"

"This is Agent Miles," the man on the phone said. He was dressed casually, a shirt and jeans, with sunglasses resting on his forehead. He looked like what someone would imagine a spy to look like, rather than an actual one. "Patch me through to Fox please."

"One second," the secretary said. He was on hold for a moment, then the phone was picked up again.

"Fox," a gruff voice said.

"Commander, it's Agent Miles." Miles looked over his shoulder and nodded towards the soldiers that were accompanying him, about five in total, with a sixth figure amongst them. They stepped forward, two of them carrying boxes. In front of them was a three carriage bullet train, in a largely deserted area. The transport for the exclusive use of the King's secret service. "We've been successful in our task."

"You acquired the dragon ball?"

"Yes sir, with two glittering star on it."

"And the energy pod from Pod Corporation?"

"That too."

"Excellent, you'd done well." There was a short pause. "Your train should arrive in the West City in two hours. Report to me as soon as you arrive."

"Yes sir. Will there be any chance of a bonus, sir?"

"A bonus?" Fox growled. "Don't get above yourself, Miles. You've done very well in accomplishing your task, but it was a task you are paid to do."

"Not disrespect meant, sir," Miles said casually. "I just thought that capturing the leader of the Shadow Dragons would be worth a bonus."

Silence.

"What?"

"The leader of the Shadow Dragons, we captured him whilst we were at Pod Corp. He was trying to do something, probably something terrorist like, you know how they are."

Another silence.

"I'll meet you at the station," Fox said. Then he hung up.

Miles took the phone down and grinned at it. That promotion was as good as his. No more of this crawling around in the dirt, he'd have a proper desk job. He turned around and looked at the three remaining soldiers, and the figure that stood in their midst.

Omega, leader of the Shadow Dragons. He looked ordinary, dressed in jeans and an open jacket over a shirt. The only unusual thing about him was the paper mask that was plastered over his face, which had a cartoon drawing of a happy, grinning white dragon on it. Only his mouth, chin and eyes were visible.

"All aboard boys!" Miles called and the soldiers pushed Omega onto the train, with Miles brining up the rear. They stepped along into the first carriage, where Omega was pushed into his chair, and a soldier stood next to him, keeping his gun pointed at him. The other soldiers sat down in the carriage, slumping happily into the plush red seats. The carriage was large and had an array of seats in it, with tables in each one. Lights lined the upper part and laptops were stationed on every other desk.

Miles stepped along the carriage and towards the back. He picked up the intercom and pressed the top of it.

"Mr Bancroft?" he said. "We're ready here, please set the train on its way when you're ready."

"Of course, sir," Bancroft replied. "We'll be on our way in two minutes."

Miles put the receiver back in its place and walked back along the carriage. He stepped over to one of the soldiers who had carried a box. "Is the cargo secure?" he asked.

"Yes sir," the soldier replied. "They're both in storage, in the back, in padded cases. No damage will come to them."

"Good. We don't know how fragile this dragon ball thing is, and god alone knows what will happen if that capsule isn't as stable as Pod Corp. have assured us…" Miles stepped forward and then slumped into his seat, opposite Omega. He smiled at the Shadow Dragon. "And how are you doing?" he asked, in a mock pleasant voice. "Enjoying the comforts of the King's train?"

Omega did not reply.

The train shudder, jolted, and then began to move. The scenery outside, an expanse of green with some rocky plateaus, began to swing by faster and faster until the nearest objects became nothing but a blur.

"About two hours of journey time," Miles said. "Then we'll be greeted by Commander Fox and host of intelligence operatives. All for you," he nodded at Omega. "Does that make you happy? All this attention?"

No reply.

Miles shook his head and waved his hand. "Ah, what does it matter whether you talk to me now or not. Later you'll squeal. Once we get out the pliers and start pulling out your fingernails, then you'll tell us whatever we want to hear. Tough, silent guys like you always do that."

"Or perhaps you will."

Miles blinked. Omega had spoken. His voice as gravelly, but soft at the same time. A chill feeling to it. His voice seemed to carry a presence with it. Miles found that it made him uneasy. Now that he thought about it that was the first time that Omega had spoken, in the entire time that he'd been there. He had been noticed on the security systems of Pod Corporation, when they had quickly apprehended him. He had been silent when arrested and silent during the whole journey.

Don't let it get to you.

Miles smirked. "You're talking nonsense. We caught you in the act. No idea what you were doing there, trying to blow stuff up probably, knowing how original you are."

"Perhaps, or perhaps not."

Omega turned his head and looked out the window at the passing scenery.

Outside the train rumbled along the tracks. They arrived at a set of points, which snapped, turning the train from its original track onto one that curved and went northwards.

"Well, either way," Miles continued. "You're going to a world of hurt now. And, thanks to you, I'm going to one heck of a promotion."

"Oh I don't think any of us really know where we're going." Omega looked at Miles and smiled. "We can only hope that we're on the right tracks."

He wasn't sure if it was his smile, which was downright unsettling, or his emphasis on the word tracks, but Miles' confidence was suddenly beginning to slip. For some reason, he was having the horrible thought that he wasn't as in control of this situation as he should be. The other soldiers seemed to be thinking the same, as they were all nervously fiddling their guns.

Miles stood up. He didn't want to give Omega the impression that he had unnerved him, but damn it. He was unnerved. He was pretty sure that Omega was bluffing, just trying to get in one last spark of revenge in by making him look sheepish, but safety first. There was precious cargo on board and he had to ensure that it was safe.

He grabbed the intercom and phoned through. "Mr Bancroft," he said.

"Yes sir."

"Are we proceeding in the correct direction?"

"I'm sorry?" Mr Bancroft asked, confused.

"Are we proceeding in the correct direction?"

"Uh, of course sir. It's a train, if we're on the tracks we can't…" There was silence on the intercom. "Shit!"

"What?" Miles felt his heart skip a beat.

"We're changed tracks! I don't know how, I mean there were some points back there, but they should have stayed as they were! There was no scheduled change and nobody there…!"

"Now hold on, calm down! What does this mean for us?"

"Nothing, well nothing important. It just means that we're having to take a longer route. I'll have to phone through to get us back on the correct path."

Miles sighed. Nothing major.

There was a slight increase in rumbling. And a chocked yell came over the intercom.

"What? What's going on!?"

"There's - there's another train - heading right for - sh -!"

The rest was lost in an eruption of sound and movement, as Miles found him jettisoned into the roof. The King's train slammed into another train, a commercial one heading in the opposite direction, and jack knifed, sending the backmost carriage spinning out to the side. The commercial train, was crushed against the superior armour and speed of the bullet train, the first few carriages being smashed to pieces. The back most ones juddered up and crashed off of the track, in a flail of steel, glass and bodies. The momentum of the two utterly halted.

Inside the ruins of bullet train, Miles clambered to his feet. The chairs and steel works had blown across the room. The tables and floor were smashed, as was a whole side of the train. Sparks flew from the exposed wires of the lights and other smashed electronics. Wind blew in from the outside and Miles staggered, blood pouring down the back of his head.

He turned his head and through his dazed vision he found himself staring into the eyes of a cartoon dragon. Fear gripped his whole body as his eyes widened. Suddenly he felt a pressure on his throat and he found himself being lifted into the air, so that he now looked down at Omega. He flailed with his hands, but nothing was gripping his throat. Nothing concrete. He saw that both Omega's hands were at his side. Behind him all the soldiers were dead, some killed in the crash. The rest: slaughtered.

"What… the hell…" Miles gasped.

"Were you honestly so arrogant that you thought I was just slip into your hands that way?" Omega said.

"You… planned this…?"

"Partially. I had need of what Pod Corporation were making, so I went to acquire it. When I learned that you had a dragon ball, I decided to kill two birds with one stone."

"You know… about them?"

"Of course."

"Then… why did you… why…?"

"Your death and this train crash will send a very effective message to the King and his men."

Miles eyes began to glaze, the pressure on his throat tightened. He chocked and dribble ran from his lips.

"What… What are…?"

"I am Omega. The end of all things." The Shadow Dragon cocked his head. "Enjoy your promotion Agent Miles. But where you're going, I suspect it won't mean much to you."

"Fuck… y -"

His throat caved in on itself. Blood squirted from the cracks and his eyes rolled back in his head. His body dropped to the ground and writhed for a moment. Then he lay still.

"Apologies, but I abhor vulgarity." Omega stepped away from the body and back through the ruins of the carriage. He stopped by the soldier Miles had talked to. This one was slumped forward, his body embedded in the table in front of him. He rummaged in his pocket until he found a set of keys. He went to the back of the carriage and hopped out the back of it and then moved over to the overturned carriage. He stepped through the door, on its side and walked along the broken glass of the windows. Inside, secured on a table pointing horizontally to his right, were the two boxes. He inserted the keys onto the lock of the table and removed both boxes from their secure holding. He opened the first one and found a small, rectangular box inside it. He closed that and then opened the second one. Inside was a golden ball, with two stars at the centre of it.

"Excellent," Omega said. Then he shoved both boxes under his arm and stepped out of the carriage. He crossed the field, ignoring the screams of the maimed passengers from the other train. He went to a plateau and walked around behind it. There he found a white, streamlined bike with two large wheels at either end of it. Blue lights pulsed from the lower regions of the bike. On top of the bike was sat a woman, with a paper mask over her face. The paper mask was red and depicted an angry cartoon dragon.

"Were you successful?" the woman asked.

"Of course, Delta," Omega said. He indicated the two boxes. "I always succeed."

"Congratulations."

Omega clambered onto the back of the bike. He reached down and touched the side of it and a compartment opened out. He placed the two boxes inside. Then he sat back as Delta revved the engines. The bike streaked away, a sonic boom exploding behind it, the blue neon light hanging in the air a moment, before it vanished.

* * *

><p>"…And that, roughly, is why the cat inside the box would be both dead and alive until the box was opened." Son Gohan turned away from the diagram on his blackboard and faced the large class of undergraduate students, about two hundred. This was their introduction to Quantum Physics, a module that formed part of the major in physics at the university. It was the busiest that Gohan had ever seen it. He adjusted the microphone that was strapped to his face, ensuring that all the students could hear him at all times. "So what does this mean? Apart from some very annoyed animal rights activists?"<p>

The class chuckled.

"Basically this is serving as an analogy for what happens at the atomic and subatomic level itself. When you fire a beam of light, at a sheet, until you measure the result, the light is in a state of indeterminacy. When you measure it, that state collapses and the light becomes either a particle or a wave, depending on the type of measurement you make. What's important to take from this is that the light is not either a particle or a wave, it is both. Until it's measured, at which point the type of measurement will determine whether it becomes a wave or a particle. And if that's confusing you, good - because if you understand this stuff, then you haven't understood it."

More chuckles.

"So, next week we'll cover interpretations of this that attempt to explain what is going on; the observer-dependent thesis, the pilot-wave theory and the theory of multiple worlds. After that we'll move on to looking at what might be behind this, namely the uncertainty principle."

There were nods around the classroom.

Gohan glanced at his watch. About five minutes left to go.

He looked up. "There's about five minutes left. Does anyone have any questions?"

Immediately every hand shot into the air.

Gohan closed his eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh. He scratched the back of his head and then opened his eyes and looked up to the class. "Okay… Allow me to rephrase that… does anyone have any questions that relate to the lecture or to the course?"

Slowly, reluctantly, the majority of the hands went down until there was only about three left.

"Excellent," Gohan muttered. He pointed at one of the students in the front row, a boy with short blonde hair. "What's your name?"

"Nick, sir," the boy said.

"Just Gohan is fine Nick." The class laughed.

"Uh, of course, sir, Gohan, professor," he stuttered. The class laughed again and he composed himself. "I uh… have two questions actually."

"Go on." Gohan seated himself on his desk and crossed his right arm over his chest. He knew what was coming, but he may as well get it over with.

"First, I just wanted to check on the course structure. Because we have to do this module and the module of relativity and then it says the last class is like, one huge class that on at the same time for both?"

"Yes," Gohan said. "Basically, as will become apparent, quantum physics and relativity conflict on quite a few points. That last, mega class, is where I and Dr Stout will go over the issues where they conflict and theories that attempt to solve these problems."

"Oh, okay. Thank you." He licked his lips and twirled his thumbs. "Um… the second question… It's not… wholly relevant…but…" He paused.

"Go on," Gohan nodded with a small smile.

"Is it… is it…" He took a deep breath. "Is it true that you killed Cell when you were twelve years old?" he almost whispered.

The whole class lent forward in excitement.

"No, that is not true," Gohan said.

The whole class sat back, with sighs of disappointment.

"I was ten."

The class exploded into an arena of noise.

"Professor Gohan!" -

- "Sir, is it -" -

- "Are you really an alien?" -

- "How did you lose your arm?" -

- "Is it true you can destroy mountains?" -

- "Can you teach me to fly?" -

- "What are -" -

Gohan raised his hand. The class fell to silence. He had an amused smile on his face. "Okay, most of those questions I'm not going to answer as they are quite personal. All I'll say on the matter is that yes, I was involved in the incident that took place in West City last year, yes I am a half-alien on my father's side and no, you don't have anything to fear from me. That is all. I'm afraid, after that, you'll have to stick to the many illuminating rumours you can find on the Internet."

The class chuckled, but there were some frustrated undertones to it.

He glanced at his watch again. "And that is the end of the class. I'll see you all next week and please make sure you do the readings for the next class and for your tutorials."

Slowly, in a bustle, the students made their way out, a few of them stopping to ask for Gohan's autograph, or asking what his office hours were. Gohan suspected he'd get a lot of people calling on him with questions of no relevance to the subject. But, it had been like that for a while now. Ever since that… that… person had uploaded footage of them attacking the Majin ship.

Finally everyone had filed out of the room. Except for one. A girl with blue hair, who was sat off to the side in the middle of the class room. Gohan looked up at her. "Hey," he called.

There was no answer.

He felt her ki and found that she was… anxious… agitated a little. Frowning Gohan stepped forward, moving up the stairs a little and called again.

"Hey."

She looked up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Uh… yes, sorry, I was just… spacing out…" she replied, standing up and gathering her things.

"It's all right. First day, it can be a little confusing. I'm not the best teacher in the world." He laughed.

"No, no your teaching was fine, excellent, actually. I understood all of it. I mean… sorry I'm babbling…" She chuckled to herself and arranged her bag. A downcast look crossed her face.

"Are you sure you're okay? You look a little… upset about something."

"Well… it's just…" She looked up at Gohan. "I didn't… believe things… you know about all of that, what happened and your involvement and everything. I thought it was just… tricks and things… I swear I'm like the only person on this course who's here to learn physics…"

Gohan laughed. "You're probably right."

"But it is true… what you said and that… that makes me ask…" She looked at him. "Why?"

Gohan looked confused. "Why? Why what?"

"Why haven't you stopped the Shadow Dragons?"

Silence.

"Ah…" Gohan said. "It's well…"

"I mean, it's all true? You can sense energy?"

"Yes, yes I can…"

"So why haven't you?" She looked at him. Her eyes began to water.

"Are you…?"

"It's just… my cousin was… one of them…"

"Oh God… I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, it was a few months ago now. It just wasn't nice, you know… Seeing him say his name on camera, on the Internet, with millions of other people seeing it and begging, hoping and praying that someone would save him and then… his brains… got splattered on the wall behind him." Tears flowed freely now. She took a deep breath and wiped them away. "God I'm sorry, I don't say this to you, I'm sure you had good reasons for not doing anything but…"

"No, it's fine, it's…" Gohan sat down beside her. The girl sat herself back down as well. "It's not that I don't want to stop them, I do. It's finding them that's difficult."

"But they said…"

"I know what they said. I can sense energy, that is true. If I extend my senses I can tell you right now that Dr Stour is feeling agitated, probably because his latest attempts to prove mathematically that cold fusion is a workable thing are not working, whilst Dr Bleach and his secretary are both feeling _very _excited. Whilst they're in the same room. And you can make of that what you will."

The girl giggled a little.

"But the thing is, I can find them because I know them. I can recognise their signature, that is their ki signature. So I can find them like that. I don't know Omega," Gohan noticed that she flinched at the name, "and his cohorts. I don't know their signature. Even if I did, finding them would be the equivalent of attempting to find a specific needle, in a box of needles, surrounded by a million other boxes of needles, that are all at the bottom of the ocean."

The girl stared at him.

"And that's why I haven't found them, and I haven't been able to do anything about it. But believe me, it is not for lack of trying."

The girl nodded and smiled at him. "Thank you. Thank you for telling me that. And I'm sorry if it sounded like I was accusing you."

"No problem. No offence is taking. Were I in your position I would have done the same."

She smiled again. "Well, I need to get to my next class, or else my teacher is going to flip," she said, standing up. Gohan stood up to let her out and she stepped down the stairs. "See you next week," she called.

"Yep. What's your name by the way?" Gohan asked.

"Mariah," she replied and smiled at him.

"See you next week, Mariah," Gohan smiled back at her.

She stepped out of the classroom and made her way down the corridor.

Gohan sat back down and put his hand to his head. He rubbed his eyes and sighed, frowning.

* * *

><p>Kuriza, President of the Interplanetary Federation, let out a sigh as he took his seat in the centre of the arena on his flagship the <em>Frieza Cold<em>. The expanse of the area was huge, a mass of metal floor that was, for the moment, uninhabited. This was the location for the senate. A holographic field would activate, when the meeting took place that would allow all senators to speak to one another from their home worlds. That solved a possible problem of senators being too distant from their home worlds, as well as arguments over which world should house the parliament. It was a long process, restructuring the Interplanetary Trade Organization into a Federation, but so far it was going smoothly.

High Captain Miuu, a red skinned humanoid with short white hair, stood at his side and looked down at his leader and friend.

"Are you ready?" Miuu asked. He was dressed in a ceremonial armour, silver planets curving with his shoulders and down his forearms, and a cape falling down the back of it.

Kuriza, with his red gelatinous orbs, with the chestnut spike poking out the top of the one on his head, let out another sigh. His paper white face, with the two lines running from the centre of his eyes, looked haggard. He was dressed in grand robes, a mix of green, red and blue swaying together that covered him from his shoulders down. He let out another sigh.

"Is that a yes or no?"

"It's a reluctant yes," he replied.

Miuu smiled. "The meeting starts in ten seconds. Are you ready with the button?"

"Yes…"

5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

Kuriza hit the central button on the electronic panel in front of him.

Instantly the room lit up with detailed holographic projections of hundreds of people: senators from the various worlds that comprised the Interplanetary Federation. They were all seated, in various manners, depending on the type of species that they were and there was a great variety in that.

Kuriza stood up and addressed the crowd. "Welcome, all, to the weekly gathering of the President and Senators of the Federation." There was a general response to the standard opening statement. "Now, as ever, High Captain Miuu will begin by covering the basics of social statistics and economic reports. Questions to me will then be taken, with any major issues being raised at that time."

He bowed to the assembly and sat back down as Miuu stood up and gave his report. Generally the report was positive. Most of the planets were stable, socially and economically, though Tharus and Ichyon were beginning to slump, though given the volatile climates of both worlds this was not unexpected and Miuu's statement of financial support was met with minimum grumbling from the other senators. Socially a few of the outlying planets were suffering from raids from other planets, outside the Federation, as well as some having troubles at home. Kuriza knew all of this already so began to scan the room. Most of the senators of the worlds were there, but he noticed that a few were missing. Some were from the outlying worlds suffering raids, which was to be expected and they would likely meet with Kuriza later when they could. But some were not there from world's that had no problems. Kuriza mulled on this as Miuu finished up his speech.

The High Captain took some questions from the senators, before seating himself and tapping Kuriza, who stood up.

"Thank you High Captain Miuu for that report," Kuriza said. "On substansive issues I think we can all agree to the issuance of support to Tharus and Ichyon, as well as military support to Trixis, Valtaron and Yom." Murmurings of assent. "Now, what issues do the senators themselves wish to raise?"

"Senator Fra-La of Paulus," an insectoid creature, with wings and bulbous eyes declared. Kuriza tapped his screen and the senator was enlarged and centred in the holographic field.

"Speak, Senator Fra-La."

"I am sure that it has not escaped the notice of the senate that certain worlds are unrepresented here," Fra-La said, his voice chattering and high. "This is the second week that senators from Borgas, Untrivon and Kal-Tel-Ba have failed to turn up. And now Ventross has joined them."

"Yes, I am aware of this. I will communicate with them to remind them of their duties."

"This is wider than that, President Kuriza. This is a mark of disrespect to you and to this senate. Those unattending, with no given reason, should be punished."

"I do not…"

"Objection!"

Another senator's voice rang out and his hologram took to the centre alongside Fra-La. This one was a humanoid character, but with four eyes and horns.

"Senator Broge of Calmen," Kuriza said, nodding at the figure.

"With the greatest of respect," Broge said. "It is not the place of Senator Fra-La to dictate policy to you. There are, perhaps, legitimate reasons why those worlds have not represented themselves."

"What reasons would those be?" Fra-La cut in.

"Perhaps they doubt the leadership of our President and the direction of this Federation," Borge replied, glancing at Kuriza.

An explosion of noise took over the chamber as the senators shouted at one another, most opposed to the statement Borge had made, but some in support. Kuriza and Miuu scanned the room for a moment, before Kuriza stepped forward and raised his voice.

"Order! Order! Silence!" he shouted. The noise died down. "Senator Borge has made his point and offered us something to think about. He is also correct, Senator Fra-La, that it is not your place to dictate policy, though I admire and welcome your passion for the Federation."

"My apologies, President, I meant no disrespect," Fra-La said, bowing. He turned his eye harshly on Borge.

Borge shrugged. "You have mine as well. What I said were not my views, I merely communicated what I had been hearing."

"That is well, Senator Borge," Kuriza said. "Now, I will address these planets and I will remind them of their duties and what the sanctions are for failure to comply, without a legitimate reason. That matter is in my hands and will be taken no further until we hear their response."

Calls of assent issued from the chamber. The holograms of Borge and Fra-La diminished and returned to their place.

Another hologram took to the centre.

"Senator Urik of Tarh," Kuriza nodded at the senator.

"President Kuriza," Urik, a gelatinous creature, who had a thin skeleton visible through the outside shape of his body and his robes of state. "What is the status on welcoming Earth into the Federation?"

"I am meeting with their King next week to discuss the matter," Kuriza said. "But it is up to them and I have no indication of what their response will be."

"I would prefer for this matter to be decided, one way or another, soon," Urik continued. "My planet is close to theirs and I am… uncomfortable with such a powerful planet being outside the Federation so close by."

"I am aware of this, but they can't be rushed and I will not do so. Technologically Tarh has nothing to fear from them, nor militarily. You have my assurances."

"Thank you President Kuriza."

Senator Urik's hologram disappeared.

The meeting carried on with much shouting, debating, harsh words and apologies. Kuriza struggled to keep his cool, but just about managed it. He found the meetings to be largely unproductive, on key issues, but they were necessary for coordinating things. After an hour of it he found his voice was going and he had a massive headache on its way. But the meeting was winding its way down to a conclusion. Miuu tapped him on the shoulder and indicated that it was time to give the closing address.

Kuriza stood to his feet and addressed the chamber, now with no hologram in the centre of the field. "Are there any final questions before this meeting is concluded?" Kuriza asked.

As usual the senators recognised this address for what it was and kept silent. Any final questions would be brought up later, in private.

"In that case I -"

A hologram suddenly appeared in the centre of the field. Kuriza narrowed his eyes and then they widened slightly. It was Lemara, Senator of Trixis. She was humanoid, with ceremonial tattoos covering the extent of her face. Kuriza stepped forward slightly as a murmur ran around the chamber.

"Senator Lemara," Kuriza said. "We were not expecting you, given the situation at Trixis. The meeting is just concluding, but you'll be pleased to know that -"

"The situation on Trixis is stable," Lemara said. "However we have other issues. Ventross has fallen."

Another murmur swept around the chamber. Kuriza furrowed his brows. "I was not aware that Ventross was under attack from raiders…"

"It did not fall to raiders. It fell to the Planet Eater."

An explosion of noise rocked the entire chamber. Senators shouted and barracked at Kuriza, Lemara and one another. Kuriza slumped backwards, letting out a seethe of frustration and massaged his temples.

"President Kuriza!" Senator Borge shouted, taking centre of the holo-field with Lemara. "Ventross is not far from Calmen! What do you intend to do to ensure the safety of my people from this threat!?"

"I don't…"

"If you cannot ensure our safety then we would be better off outside the Federation! I cannot afford to divert resources that need to be devoted to our own safety!"

"Senator Borge… Listen…"

"Order!"

That shout came from Miuu. Silence descended on the chamber. It was rare that Miuu spoke out like that, but when he did all listened. "Senator Borge," Miuu said. "We understand your concern. But we known nothing about this Planet-Eater, or what it is. Nevertheless we will divert resources to assisting in survey the surroundings and the defences of Calmen." Senator Borge nodded. "As for the rest, if you have concerns, bring it up with us personally. For now, though, we can tell you nothing and our best recommendation is to await the return of our survey units, who are investigating the matter, and pay attention to anything unusual occurring in your systems." He turned to Lemara. "Senator Lemara, can you meet with us later to tell us what you know of Ventross?"

Senator Lemara nodded. "I will do so, High Captain Miuu."

"Thank you." Miuu surveyed the chamber. "I now declare this meeting adjourned." The senator's nodded in assent. Then the lights of their holograms winked out and the room returned to silence.

Kuriza sighed. "Thank you Miuu," he said. "That was in danger of getting out of hand."

"I know. But I can't do this all the time. It undercuts your authority. And you heard Borge, some of the senators are beginning to have doubts."

Kuriza nodded. "Yes. Borge chief among them… I might have to do what Fra-La suggested to bring some of the dissenters into line."

"And how would you do that?"

"Well… I could always blow one of their planets up."

Miuu laughed. "I'm sure your father would approve of that course of action."

Kuriza raised a small smile. Then he went back to massaging his temple. "What the heck are we going to do with this Planet Eater?" he said after a moment. "It comes out of nowhere, at random and turns an entire planet to a life-less husk of rock and dust. And it does it too fast for a communication to get out or for anyone to notice. So what the hell is it? It can't be a force of nature, there's too much randomness in what it does. But what else can it be? It doesn't strike system by system, it just goes anywhere and attacks."

"We don't know," Miuu said. "We have to wait for the survey report and what Lemara can tell us. If we can notice a common factor among the planets then perhaps we can diagnose what is happening."

"There won't be a common factor," Kuriza said bitterly. "Three planets we've lost in the last few months, all at different levels of development, and there's at least six that we've heard reported that are likely candidates for its presence before we noticed and started keeping record." He sighed. "This is a disaster if we can't get to the bottom of it soon."

"Would you like to call in additional help?"

"You mean Earth?" Kuriza thought for a moment. "No. I want them to stay out of this. This is our problem, a Federation problem, and we're the ones who need to solve it."

"As you wish."

Kuriza stood up and stepped off the podium, Miuu following him. "On which note, order the ship to begin to head to Earth, I have that meeting with the King to attend. And order someone to run me a bath, because I need it yesterday or I am going to flip."

Miuu smirked. "As his highness commands."

* * *

><p>Bulma Briefs, president of Capsule Corporation, leant back in her chair as she answered the phone. Despite being quite old now, she still managed to look only middle-aged, with only a few wrinkles. It was fairly obvious that she was dying her short hair green, though, but no one dared say anything.<p>

"Yes?" she said.

"A man is here to see you," the voice of her secretary said. "Baldwin, says he arranged to meet you?"

"Ah yes, yes he did. Send him in please."

Bulma put the phone back on the cradle and looked out of her office window. In the distance she could see West City, being rebuilt but still with large parts of it in ruins, or only half completed. Baldwin, she was aware, was from the King's secret services, a fairly high-ranking officer as well. It wasn't unusual for Capsule Corp. to have some of the King's functionaries dropping in on them. The company developed a lot of high tech that had strict laws around its development and use, so someone dropping by to check that they weren't going outside of prescribed limits, or planning on putting things to bad usage was not unheard off. Still Bulma was curious to know what he was here about. As far as she was aware all latest tech developments had been reported and there was nothing on there that would warrant an investigation.

The door opened and Baldwin, carrying a file and a book under his arm, entered. He was dressed in a sharp suit and looked in his forties. Balding, with a comb over and wearing glasses. He paused at the door and waved, then stopped and shut the door and walked over. "Ms Briefs," he said, holding out his hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

Bulma took his hand and smiled at him. "Likewise, Mr Baldwin. Please sit down." She gestured to a seat in front of her desk that Baldwin sat down on with a nod. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked, then regretted the remark as it sounded sarcastic. "I wasn't aware that there was anything on the latest report batch that investigation?"

"There was not," Baldwin said with a smile. "And this meeting is not about that."

"Oh? So what are you here for?"

"Ms Briefs, are you aware of the state of the world?"

"Reasonably," she replied. "From what I hear there are still some rioting in East City and Satan City, and that the slums around West City are not diminishing." She shrugged. "The construction work remains unfinished and the markets are suffering from a lot of economic trouble, as a result of last years invasion. And the King is suffering his worst poll ratings in his era over his perceived inability to solve the issue quickly enough."

Baldwin coughed. "It would seem that you are more than reasonably aware of the issues."

"Thank you," Bulma beamed at him. "I try."

"Yes, you are correct that there are continuing problems. Some of the city-states are beginning to make grumblings about splitting off from the intercity league. The King is not happy about this, but off course we have run into continual problems on the reconstruction, not aided by the collapsing economy and the need to divert funds to support the refugees and West City..." He trailed off. "But I digress."

"Yes, a bit. What has this got to do with me?"

"Nothing, nothing directly anyway." Baldwin smiled. "Ms Briefs, are you happy with the way things are?"

"How do you mean?"

"With the way the world is and for you personally?"

"The world is the way it is and we have to deal with it as best we can." She shrugged. "As for me personally, not much has changed."

"But it has for your friends, ah, Son Goku? I understand he and his wife are living with you now?"

She nodded. "Yes. They were getting too much attention where they were living, so I accommodated them to get them away from it all. They are both rather private individuals."

"Of course, of course. You are good friends and the revelation of your friend being an alien, and such a powerful one at that, could not have been easy for the other residents."

"I suppose not…" Bulma frowned at Baldwin. Where was he going with this?

"Oh, I'm sorry, I completely forgot!" Baldwin pulled the book up from his lap. On the cover was Bulma's smiling face, when she was much younger, with the title: 'Inventing and Adventuring: The Story of My Life'. Her autobiography, heavily edited naturally, that she had written nearly a decade ago. "My wife is a huge fan of yours," Baldwin said. "When I said I was going to meet you she practically shoved this in my hand and made me promise I'd get it signed - otherwise no dinner for me tonight! So, would you?"

"Of course," Bulma smiled, taking the book and opening a pen. "Far be it from me to deprive a man of his dinner. What's your wife's name?"

"June."

"Lovely. 'To June, I hope you cook him something nice! Best wishes,'…" She scrawled her signature. "There," she said and passed the book back to Baldwin with a smile.

"Ah, thank you, thank you very much." Baldwin took the book and looked at the dedication. Then he flipped through some of the pages. "It's a very good book, I have to say. I read a bit of it myself. You were so brave for one so young, heading out into the world on your own like that. I could never have done that."

Bulma laughed. "Oh, I was a reckless free spirit back then. Were I to have the sense I have now, I doubt I'd have done it either."

Baldwin chuckled.

"Of course it's not the whole story though," he said after a moment.

"No, I might have to do an updated unedited version."

"I'm sure your publishers will be delighted."

"Tell me about it, they've been screaming at me to write it for almost a year now!"

They laughed.

"What really interests me, though, is what you were looking for when you were so young," he mused, after a moment.

"Nothing much, just adventure."

"Of course, of course. But this precious stone that the young boy had, from his grandfather… the young boy I presume is Son Goku?"

"Uh… yes…"

"I thought as much. But this precious stone, the way it's described. Nothing specific of course, but I can't help wondering if it was… a dragon ball."

Bulma's eyebrow arched. "How do you…?"

"The myths and legends have existed for many centuries now," Baldwin said, with a dismissive wave. "Of course you can't base policy around such things. Unless, of course, you're really desperate. And you have confirmation of their existence." Baldwin reached into the file and extracted a picture. He held it up to Bulma. On the picture was round, golden sphere, with one star in the centre of it. "Ms Briefs, would you confirm that that is a dragon ball?"

Bulma looked at the picture for a moment and decided that it was not worth lying. "Yes, that is a dragon ball," she said.

"Good," Baldwin put the picture down on the desk. "We were fairly sure that it was but, it helps to be certain."

"When did you get that?"

"An agent in the field found it."

"He just stumbled across it?"

"Not quite, he was tasked with looking for it, but it can be quite a chore. A very annoying task, as I'm sure that you can attest." He smiled at her.

"Oh, of course. Particularly when you lose it as well."

Baldwin blinked. "Lose it?"

"Yes or someone steals it. It's very frustrating, you put in all that work to get something and then someone grabs it from you in the blink of an eye." She smiled at Baldwin. "Still, I'm sure you wouldn't know what that's like, in relation to these."

"Uh… no… no we would not…" Baldwin shifted in his chair and coughed.

Bulma sat back a little. So that was it. She, as ever, had been keeping tabs on Pod Corporation, it helped to know what your rivals were up to, particularly when they always seemed bent on stealing their ideas. She had known for a while now that they were developing an energy capsule, to compete with Estella's as yet unfinished idea, with aide from the King, but she never imagined that the sketchy reports about there being another valuable object in their possession would be a dragon ball. And now the Shadow Dragons had it, if her intel was to be believed.

That's not good… Uub…

"Ms Briefs…" Baldwin began, snapping Bulma back to attention. "I want to be frank with you. We know that you were looking for the dragon balls, specifically, when you went out on your journey. And we know that you have the means to find them."

Bulma furrowed her brows at him. "How do you know that?" she asked.

"We're well informed," he said.

"By whom?"

"Ah… we have a… mutual friend… the Emperor Pilaf?"

Bulma's eyes widened a little.

"I see you recognise the name, it's not completely forgotten. Anyway we had a chat and he was… persuaded to tell us what he knew."

"And how exactly did you persuade him?" Bulma asked, a harsh tone creeping into her voice. Her heart had begun to beat faster.

Baldwin beamed at her. "With steak. And a lot of blackcurrant juice. He was quite resistant to opening up, which was surprising given that you were enemies, but eventually he decided that our… generosity should be rewarded."

Bulma frowned, her face becoming angry. "Get out," she said. "Out of my office, now."

"Ms Briefs, please be reasonable," Baldwin said, leaning forward. "I don't know what you're thinking, but I assure you it couldn't be further from the truth. We don't want to hurt you. All that we want is the dragon radar. That way, we can collect the dragon balls and we can then wish all the misery away. West City is rebuilt, the economy goes back to functioning and we'll even wipe everyone's memories about you and your friends so that you can all go back to the way you wanted to live. Doesn't that seem fair to you?"

"The dragon balls are not toys, Mr Baldwin," Bulma said. "And if the King can't solve this mess without cheating, then he should do the honourable thing and abdicate rather than clinging to power."

Baldwin's face went dark. "Ms Briefs, in failing to comply you will make his majesty very unhappy. And you wouldn't want that, would you?"

"Oh really?" Bulma crossed her arms and smiled. "So, pray, tell me what is the King going to do? Try and steal it, by sneaking someone in? Appropriating it by force? Because that's not going to work and you know it won't work. My husband, my son, my daughter, my best friend and my godson all have the power to blow-up a city and could sense an intruder entering the building before that person could even register consciously that they had got in. How exactly are you going to get the dragon radar if I don't give my permission?"

Baldwin glared at her. And then he smiled. The sudden change unsettled Bulma, but she didn't allow it to show.

"Do you mind if I ask something?" Baldwin said. "According to your autobiography, Ms Briefs, you met your husband, whilst journeying in a forest. He was the leader of some tribe of savages that were under attack by a businessman wanting to cut down the forest, am I correct?"

"Yes, according to the autobiography." Bulma had to fight to keep the smile from coming to her lips. Vegeta had not been happy when she had revealed how she was rewriting their relationship.

"He fell in love with you immediately and you brought him back to civilisation, where you lived for a few years before becoming happily married." Baldwin smiled. "It's a nice story. Such a shame that it's not true."

"Believe me, the real version is more spectacular."

"Oh I'm certain it is. Now, of course, as we all know your husband is in fact an alien, like Son Goku. And he first appears on our census records… a good few years ago, before you got married at any rate. Then he was just a tenant at your house, correct?"

"Yes."

"Of course, that isn't the first time he _appeared_ on Earth, though." Baldwin pulled another photo from his file and placed it on the desk. Bulma leaned forward and her eyes widened. It was a satellite picture, quite detailed, showing two figures standing next to craters with Saiyan pods inside of them, in the middle of a city, a crowd of onlookers staring at them. One of the figures was bulky and bald and the other was lean, with a jet of black spiky hair. Both wore armour, with golden shoulder plates. "Would you confirm, please, that the one with black hair is your husband?"

Bulma's mouth was dry, her heart beating. She said nothing.

"I thought as much. This next picture, shows the aftermath…" He placed another photo on top of the first one. Vegeta and Nappa were still there, but the area around them was now desolate.

Bulma swallowed.

"We've had these pictures for sometime but, due to a variety of problems with confirming things and, of course, our long-standing friendship with Capsule Corp. we didn't really do anything with them. Now, though… you appear to not want to give us what we're looking for, even though we asked nicely. So now we're doing things the hard way."

"What are you…?"

"I'll put it simply. I will return in one week, on this day at this time. When I return you will hand me the dragon radar. I will walk away and nothing more will happen. If you fail to hand me the dragon radar I will arrest your husband for the murder of 1.2 million people."

"What would that…?"

"Now I know what you'll say. We obviously don't have the ability to hold him, we know that, he'd escape and flee the planet and so forth. But I wonder what kind of damage, all of those revelations, will be done to Capsule Corp. and to you?" Baldwin smiled at her. Then he swept the photos away and patted them back into the file. "Well, I hope I never have to find out and I'm sure you do to."

"But, it's not so simple, I don't have the dragon radar," Bulma said.

"Then get it back," Baldwin said, standing. "Or build a new one. You have one week, I'm sure a genius of your intellect can do one of those two things. Don't worry, I'll show myself out."

Baldwin smiled again and nodded and then exited through the back door.

Bulma slumped back in her seat, staring at her desk, her arms handing by her side. For the first time in a long while she looked her age.

* * *

><p>Son Goku stepped out of the gravity chamber and wiped his brow with a towel. He was sweating, training at 50g had taken a greater toll on him than it once would, but he still felt the same feeling of exhilaration when he worked. Another year of aging, at an accelerated rate, had taken its toll: there were more wrinkles on his face and his skin was stretched taught and thin over his muscles. His once black, messy hair was now a light shade of grey. Still he felt good, and that was what mattered to him.<p>

He grinned and pulled on the top half of his gi on again. Despite his initial reluctance to move out from his home, where he had lived with Chi-Chi for more years than he could count, he was finding living at Capsule Corp. to be good. It was certainly less stressful for him and Chi-Chi and having friends around was particularly helpful to his wife, who had never quite been as comfortable in isolation as Goku was.

He ascended the stairs, on the way out of the basement and stepped into the living room, intending to go upstairs to have a shower before seeing what Chi-Chi wanted to do, when the caught the sense of someone familiar and paused. He looked over and beamed at the two people sat in the couch in front of the enormous TV screen.

"Hey Pan!" he called cheerfully.

His granddaughter looked up. Dressed in a red T-shirt and grey pirate shorts, and her black hair cut short now so it resembled her mother's when she was a teenager, Pan smiled at her grandfather. Slumped along the other couch was Goku's God daughter, Bra, who was dressed in a loose fitting shirt and pyjama bottoms, with her long green hair splayed in a mess.

"Hi," Pan said, whilst Bra smiled and waved. "I keep forgetting you're living here now. We're you training?"

"Uh yeah," Goku said, a little sheepishly.

Pan smiled slyly. "I thought Dad told you that that wasn't good for your health?"

"I know but the gravity chamber is too tempting an opportunity."

Pan laughed. "Don't worry, I won't rat on you." She turned her head back to the TV.

Goku looked over. The two were clutching controllers in their hands whilst, on the screen, they appeared to be playing a racing game. Only the game was moving incredibly fast.

"Is this kind of thing really being sold?" Goku asked. "I'm no expert but this looks a little too fast for human reactions."

"It is," Bra confirmed. "I had Trunks tinker with it and modify it. He increased the frame rate and speed of everything, so now its actually fun for us to play." As if on cue Bra's car, on the top screen, adjusted too much and spun off slightly, causing Bra to swear and Pan to smirk as she overtook.

Goku blinked and looked between the two girls, with their silent and intense expressions. "Well I'll leave you too to your 'fun'," he said. "Are you staying round tonight Pan?"

"Yep," the girl replied, without looking up.

"Great! Maybe later we can have a sparring match?"

Pan froze a moment before replying. "Yeah… maybe…"

Goku grinned at her and then made his way up the stairs towards the bedrooms.

Bra glanced across at Pan. "You still haven't got over it?" she asked.

Pan didn't reply.

Bra sighed. "Pan… I know what happened and what it was like for you but this… this is a bit extreme…" Pan jabbed at the joystick. "I mean you haven't fought or trained in over a year. I know your dad's delighted now that your top of the class but still even he's worried about you. We all are."

"I'm fine. I've just…" She turned away from the screen and looked out of the window. The sun was beginning to set, outlining the structures of the still ruined West City.

"You were under a spell. Nobody blames you."

"I blame me." Pan looked at Bra. "Because even though I was under a spell… I still enjoyed it… I was still exhilarated by it, by having that power. A part of me isn't even sure if I didn't invite it just to get that…"

"That's nonsense."

"Maybe. But either way I've realised, that I'm not capable of handling that power. I don't have the responsibility to use it wisely. So I don't use it. And I won't."

She turned her attention back to the game and overtook Bra again.

"Don't punish yourself forever because of one mistake," Bra said after a moment. "We all make mistakes. But the key is to learn from them, not repudiate the whole thing for eternity."

Pan nodded but said nothing.

They were silent, apart from the frequent ribbing of one another over failures in the game, and curses over those failures. The front door slammed and Bra looked up from the couch.

"Hey Mom!" she called. Then she frowned. Bulma looked worn and a little… dazed? Either way she didn't look like she was completely there. Bra paused the game. "Hey Mom… are you okay?"

"Huh… oh, hi sweetie," Bulma smiled. "Have you had a nice day?"

"Sort of. A lazy one. I said Pan could stay around tonight, is that okay?"

"That's fine." Bulma looked away.

"Are you okay Mom? You look like something is bothering you?"

"Hum? Oh, sorry. Just a long day… Listen have either of you heard from Uub recently?"

Bra and Pan exchanged a look. "No… why?" Bra asked.

"Oh, no reason. I was just curious. Bra can you tell your brother that I won't be able to make the game tonight? I'm not feeling too well."

"Sure Mom. Hope you feel better soon!"

Bulma smiled at her daughter and gave a small wave. Then she made her way to the stairs and climbed slowly up them. The two girls watched her go and then looked at one another. Bra nibbled on her thumbnail. "I've not seen Mom like that before…" she said after a moment. "She looked really worried about something."

Pan nodded. "I doubt her asking about Uub was just out of concern for him either."

"Right… I'll send him a message and at least find out whereabouts he is." Bra dug out her phone and then began to tap at the screen. "And… send…" she said as she hit the send button.

* * *

><p><em>Brrrrrr! Brrrrrr! Brrrrr!<em>

"Shit!"

His hand slipped on the side of the rock face and he fell downwards. He threw out another hand and grabbed an opening in the rock face halting his momentum. The jolt on his arm hurt, but he shook it off.

Uub sighed as he looked down. He was hanging several miles up from the ground, beneath him a raft of trees. That was close. He could have sworn that he'd put that damn thing on silent… He hung where he was for a moment. He wore a simple baggy shirt and trousers, secured with a belt. On his back was a rucksack and his hands had cloth wrapped around them, from his hands to his elbow. His mohawk hair blew softly in the breeze.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

Bra: 'Hey - where are you? Are you ok? Mom was asking after you.'

Uub frowned at the message and then tapped out his reply: 'I'm fine - climbing a rock at the moment. Why was she asking?'

He hit send and then switched the phone to silent. He put it back in his pocket and continued his climb. It would, obviously, have been easier to fly, but he was here to test himself. At least in part.

After about ten minutes of careful climbing he made it to the top of the rock face. He swung his legs over and stood at the top. He looked out and could see for miles around him, the wind whipping around him. In the distance was the village that he'd set out from, surrounding him the forest. And all the way down, beneath the mass of trees, was where he had begun his climb. He grinned and punched the air. Triumph!

He picked the phone out of his pocket as he turned around. Another new message from Bra: 'Glad to hear your okay J No idea, but she looked a little worried.'

Uub frowned and put the phone back in his pocket. Bulma asking after him was a little unusual. He didn't know her that well. He wondered what it was about and then dismissed the notion. Probably nothing important. It's not like it was Goku anyway… He clenched his fist and then shook his head. He swung the rucksack off of his shoulder and opened the front pocket. From it he removed the dragon radar. He tapped the top of it. The machine's green, grided screen blipped, showing his position in relation to the dragon ball. He was almost on top of it.

He stepped forward a few paces. At the top of the rock face was a tree, on its own before a set of other trees began a new forest. The radar indicated that the dragon ball was located near the tree. He walked over to it, glanced at the radar and then studied the tree. There was a small hole in the trunk and Uub peeked into it. He grinned. Inside was an animal's nest, of what kind he wasn't sure. But more important, there was a dragon ball stuffed at the back of it.

Uub reached in and pulled the ball out. The Seven-Star. He grinned and chucked it up in the air and then caught it. Four down, three to go!

He sat down and opened his rucksack. In the back pocket was the Four-Star, the One-Star and the Five-Star dragon ball. He studied them a moment and then dropped the Seven-Star into the bag. He zipped it up and then stood up. He tapped the top of the dragon radar. Nothing else in vision, so he cycled through it until the scale changed. Another two were now visible on the radar, one to the West and the other to the East. The one to the West would take him towards West City. He looked around and mulled on it for a moment. Then he put the dragon radar back in the bag and turned towards the East. He would save the West City one for last.

He started on his way. He looked down and held up his left hand. He stared at the bandages wrapped around the palm. He clenched his fingers together.

Three to go…

* * *

><p>"No -! no -! please -! please -! don't -!"<p>

The shot fired and the man's head snapped back, the blood spurting over the wall.

The white grinning dragon mask took centre of the frame again.

"Number eight," Omega said. "How many more, I wonder?"

Gohan's eyes narrowed in anger. He had watched this video countless times now, the latest one they had uploaded. Over ten million views, and it had only come out a month ago. And nothing. He couldn't do anything! His hand shook on the mouse.

"Gohan…?"

Gohan slapped at the mouse and the screen minimized. He looked over his shoulder. Videl, wearing a white shirt and jeans, was just entering his office, in the home.

"Hey," Gohan said, trying his best not to look guilty. "What's up?"

"Nothing," she said, a small smile creeping onto her features. "I was just coming to say that dinner was ready."

"Really? Normally you just shout."

"Yes, but Pan's staying around Bra's today, so that's not necessary."

"Ah…" Gohan turned back to the computer. On it was now a draft of a paper he was working on. "Time was that would make me feel nervous. Now I just feel… sad…"

"I know…" Videl put her arms around Gohan's shoulders. "I worry about her too. Before I didn't like her being out late and fighting so much, to many uncomfortable memories, but now… knowing she's round Bra's and the most they'll be doing is playing games and watching movies, and all other times she's just studying it…"

Gohan squeezed her hand. "She'll snap out of it. It was a big thing that happened." He kissed her on the cheek and smiled at her. "I'm sure she'll be all right."

Videl nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I think she will be too. Although it probably doesn't help having a one-armed father as a constant reminder…" Videl prodded Gohan in the forehead.

Gohan humphed and turned back to the computer. "Yes, yes, yes. I know. You've been going on about this for ages now…"

Videl giggled. "So what is my genius husband working on now?"

"Oh, just revising my proposal to study long range ki movements. I'm still trying to work out the maths behind it and… well it's not easy, so the funding would be nice. But, you know, funding is required for more practical projects is the constant rejection notice."

"Well if you want to engage in mathematical games with no relevance to reality I'm sure the economics department would be happy to oblige you…"

"Hey! This is very relevant to reality!"

Videl laughed at Gohan's indignant response.

"Of course the real reason they reject is because they don't want me to take time off…" He continued. "After all I am the major attraction that pulls students in. Applications to study there are up nearly two-hundred percent."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Videl said, humouring him. She'd heard this rant before and knew it was to let him have it.

"Yes, but they all come because of my achievements in the realm of smashing people's heads in. I'd prefer it if they came because of my achievements in physics."

"I know… It's not been easy for all of us."

This was true. Soon after the battle in West City various videos, of varying quality, had made their way online showing them fighting off the alien invasion. Naturally a massive news campaign had begun to identify the people in it. Vegeta and Yamcha had been the first two to be recognised, given their more high profile visage (much as Vegeta had tried to avoid it, but being married to Bulma…). After that Gohan had been swiftly named, as had Piccolo - who was recognised as being the Demon King. From there it was Goku, who was remembered by some people who had witnessed the Budokai tournament he won, following that Trunks and Goten were assumed and then confirmed as being part of it. After that it all just came out. Overnight, almost, they'd become massive sensations and the attention had become a bit much, particularly for Goku and Chi-Chi. The others were dealing with it in their own ways but sometimes…

"I'm sorry," Gohan said. "I know I shouldn't be complaining, I've had it easy compared to others. I mean I'm complaining about having hundreds of adoring fans turning up whereas you and your dad…"

Videl smiled at him. "Don't worry about it. We'll get through and this will all blow off soon. I know I said that last year but…"

Gohan smiled at her. Then his stomach growled. Loudly. And insistently.

"Ah… guess it's time to eat!" He leapt out of his chair and made for the door. Videl laughed as she watched him look back over his shoulder, sheepishly, before heading outside and down the stairs.

"I'll be down in a sec!" Videl called.

"Okay!"

She turned away and her smile faded slightly. She clicked at the closed tab at the bottom of the computer screen. The concluded video of Omega's previous assassination came up. Videl sighed sadly. "Gohan…" she murmured to herself.

* * *

><p>"Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready!" the announcer screamed into the microphone. The crowd roared back at him. The announcer was stood in the centre of the basketball arena, playing to a full house. "Please welcome your teams for today's match: the West City Wolves against the East City Eagles!"<p>

The crowd roared again as the two teams entered to thumping music, the Wolves in yellow and black and the Eagles in white and blue. The crowd was split about 70-30 in favour of the Wolves, which made sense as they were on home territory.

Trunks leaned back and grinned. Next to him his wife, Estella, also smiled. The two had decided to take a night off from doing work and going out to enjoy themselves. As both were fans of the sport, this seemed a natural choice. Now, sat with the best seats in the house in the director's box, they were beginning to relax.

They were both wearing casual clothes, though Estella had forcefully combed Trunks' hair so it looked neat. She, after all, didn't want everyone to think that she was married to a scruff-ball.

The two teams took their positions on the court as the announcer began to walk inwards. "I'd also like everyone to know that, adding to the occasion, one of the Wolves' great champions is in attendance. One of their great champions, and ours. Mr Trunks Briefs, Vice-President of Capsule Corporation and saviour of the world is here!"

The crowd roared in approval. Trunks stood up slightly and waved to all corners of the arena. Then he sat down and composed his face.

Estella jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. "Don't act like you didn't enjoy that," she said, with a smile. "You're loving every second of this attention."

"Not at all," he replied, with a hurt expression. "I just want to give them the recognition they expect."

"Yeah, sure, Mr Saviour-of-the-World," she teased, to which Trunks just flashed his most charming smile.

On the court the ball was taken and the referee blew his whistle for the game to begin. The Wolves dribbled and passed the ball, breaking into the Eagles territory, before setting up a move that finished with them scoring a field goal. The crowd roared and Trunks cheered, as the Wolves celebrated and moved back to their half…

And then the roaring died down as three figures stepped onto the court.

Trunks stood up and glared at them. All three of them wore jackets, over combat trousers and shirts, with military boots. The one out in front had a blue coloured paper dragon mask with a frowning expression on his face, the one to his left had a pink dragon with a sleeping face and the one of the right a black dragon with a confused expression.

"Greetings," the blue dragon announced in a slightly high-pitched tone. "My name is Gamma. I'm a member of the Shadow Dragons. And I'm afraid your fun is over."

Gamma suddenly raised his right hand and aimed his gun at the director's box. He squeezed the trigger and the bullet shot forward, heading straight for Estella's forehead.

Before she could scream a hand wreathed in a golden aura shot out in front of her and caught it. Trunks, now a Super Saiyan, turned his furious expression back at the dragons.

The other two dragons raised their guns, uzis, and fired into the crowd. The people screamed and ran, falling over one another, as some were struck by the scattering bullets. The blue dragon threw out his left hand and a grenade arced through the air and landed near the team benches, who yelled and started to dart away.

Trunks shot down and threw his body over the grenade. It exploded and he winced as his body absorbed the impact, his shirt being torn apart by the explosion. He looked up in time to see the Shadow Dragons retreat behind a smoke grenade.

"Hey! You cowards get back here!" Trunks yelled as he dashed into the smoke. He found himself in a corridor, where the referee and coaching would walk out from. He looked left and right but could not see anything.

He shot down the corridor and looked to his left when he reached the end. Again, nothing doing the adjoining corridor. "Cowards!" he screamed. "Do you think you can shoot at my wife and just run away!?" He stalked down the corridor a bit further, focusing his mind. Why couldn't he pick up their ki signatures? "Get out here!" he roared, igniting his aura and expanding the energy. It ripped through the walls, knocking them apart and revealing the bare rooms behind them.

He panted in rage and then calmed himself down. He focused again… but still nothing. This wasn't possible; he had to be able to pick up something! No way could ordinary humans hide their power levels like that, it just wasn't possible!

Cursing in frustration he ran back down the corridor. He had to make sure Estella was all right. When he reached the arena a huge commotion was underway, the wounded screaming in agony, whilst everyone else were either running away or trying to help the wounded. The announcer was out in the middle, trying to calm the crowd down and reassuring them that ambulances were on the way.

"Hey you!" a voice yelled at Trunks. He turned his head to see an angry and tearful man glaring at him. "Why didn't you save my girlfriend!?"

"What?" Trunks asked, confused.

"Yeah!" someone else screamed. "You can save your own bitch, but you can't help other people!?"

"I don't -"

"You can move faster than light to save your own, but not others! Some fucking hero you are!"

Loud shouts of anger began to be directed at Trunks, as well as things being thrown at him. One or two people began to climb over the barriers. Trunks rasied his hands, trying to pacify the growing mob.

"Let's see how you like it!" a voice roared and Trunks snapped his head over as Estella screamed. A group of people were charging at the director's box and clawing at his wife, who was scooting backwards to get away, as others descended down from behind.

"Get away from her!" Trunks yelled and shot forward. The force of his aura passing was enough to knock the people back, sending them sprawling onto the court. Trunks grabbed Estella, hoisting her into his arms and then he jetted towards the roof, breaking through the skylight and shooting out into the night air.

He roared through the night sky, a streak of gold against the starry background.

"Trunks…" Estella said, after a while, her voice shaky. "Trunks… it's okay, you can stop…"

He didn't reply.

"Trunks, calm down. I'm okay…"

"Those assholes…" Trunks growled. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Did any of them… they didn't…"

"I'm fine," Estella said, stroking his cheek. "I'm fine, don't worry about me."

Trunks took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He lowered his aura, reverting back from his Super Saiyan state. He took another deep breath and let it out again, calming himself. "Okay… okay… We'll stay at Capsule Corp. tonight though… I don't want to risk anything…"

"Okay…"

Silently the two moved through the night, heading for sanctuary.

* * *

><p><em>Hey there everyone and thanks for reading the first episode of Dragon Ball XVI - I hope you enjoyed it!<em>

_We're starting a bit faster than in XV, and things are going to be moving on swiftly. As you can see the subtle propaganda campaign the Shadow Dragons have been running is, after a year, beginning to take effect on the population. Coupled with the various other problems they're facing, that's clearly all our heroes need!_

_The synopsis at the start is, I hope, an adequeate refresher and a good primer for those who are new readers. I'll probably be updating it a bit as time goes by, so check back on occassion if it doesn't quite make sense. I think I covered all of the major points though._

_Right, couple of things to clear up, the update schedule for this is likely going to be once a month for a bit. I might speed it up depending on how well I do with writing and managing things, but for now I'm playing it safe. Secondly, Uub has lost the power of Buu, but he's not an ordinary human. He can fly and use ki, he's just choosing not to here. Power wise he's probably just slightly weaker than Krillin at this stage._

_Okay, onto the questions!_

**Q: wow nice chapter shame radits wont be back for the little girl but I wonder what will happen to her then and what is she**

_All in good time ;)_

**Q: The legend returns! Glad to see you back on here El...looking forward to this! Loved Raditz's characterization here; the girl was interesting too. Good work buddy!**

_Thanks! ...Wait, the story, the characters or me?_

**Q: This is freaky and I can tell from the story description and the prologue itself, that this one will be a good one.  
>I was very surprised that Raditz was the main guy to kick this off, and by the looks of things we might get to his reaction later on this story when this girl returns which I'm assuming will happen. I felt my shock when Raditz said he'd come back for her, knowing full well what would happen. Well this little girl is going to be furious! But the number twenty-eight is specified for a reason, eh? Great I'll be trying to solve that one out throughout this story now, haha! By the way I'm getting a sort of Doctor Who vibe with the girl that waited as well!<strong>

_Thanks, I'm glad to hear that it was having this effect - it's what I was going for! The girl's story will be left for the moment, thought it will be returned to. The idea with the prologue was to kick things off in an unexpected manner, and hopefully leave people wondering what's going on and hooking them with taht mystery. You'd be right about your vibe - but I suspect this girl won't get the same happy ending ;)_

**Q: Neat, I started out thinking this was some sort of alternate universe not a prequel DBZ. Damn good start. As for how Raditz knew I don't think it was actually a secret, Kakkarot just got sent to the ass end of nowhere and nobody bothered to go pick his ass up. I like that you have the astroid explanation in there. That little girl is sufficiently scary by the way, if Raditz had a lick of sense he'd eliminate that planet from outerspace and hope she can't breathe in space. I mean GAH 600k is a serious power.**

_Thank you! Yeah, but seeing as he was off planet at the time, how would he have known which assend of nowhere to go to? There probably is some logical explanation but, this is my one. I think when you come across a power like that you just get the hell out of there as quick as you can - and do your best to keep your promise! I don't think Raditz would be strong enough to blow up the planet anyway - in my head canon I think you'd need to be at Frieza tier before you could do that._

**Q: Excellent. I knew that stinger at the end of XV wasn't just for kicks. Does the I stand for anything in particular? Infinity?  
>Considering the amount of blood DBZ had compared to its peers, I doubt anyone will have any problem with you going with darker themes. Good luck sir.<strong>

_Thanks - I suspect I'll need that luck! The I is the Roman numeral for one, with the X and V being ten and five respectively. So XVI is meaning sixteen, to mean sixteen years after the end of Z._

**Q: 123456728 - black star dragonballs coming through, guys and girls! The badguys call themselves shadow dragons. Omega is the head human badguy. I forsee a mythical forgotten goddemon girl (all grown up and angry at earth for killing her friend) turning some evil humans into real dragons. Looking forward to this alternate GT ;-)**

_Maaayyybbbeee... I'm revealing nothing! Glad to hear you're looking forward to it!_

**Q: Great start, I read the last one yesterday and have started this. I'm looking forward to how it develops! :)**

_Thank you! I hope it doesn't dissapoint!_

_Thanks again to everyone for reading and reviewing!_


	3. Episode Two: Into Darkness

**A/N: **_Hey everyone - apologies for the long delay in getting this episode done! There were lots of troubles, real life ones that caused the delay. I hope it proves to be worth the wait and thanks, as ever, for reading!_

* * *

><p><em>Last time on Dragon Ball XVI...<em>

_Omega, the leader of the Shadow Dragons, destroyed a government train and captured a mysterious object from Pod Corporation and a Dragon Ball. Meanwhile Bulma was visited by a government agent, informing her that they had need of the dragon balls. When she refused to hand over the radar, she was threatened with the possibility of Vegeta being jailed for the destruction of East City when he first arrived on Earth. Unable to retrieve the radar, as it is in the possession of Uub, the agent left with his ultimatum, leaving Bulma greatly worried and disturbed. That night Trunks and his wife Estella attended a basketball game, when they are attacked by the Shadow Dragons. Failing to capture them, the crowd in their anger turn on them and Trunks only just manages to get out with Estella before they came to harm._

_Will Bulma be able to find a way out of her trouble? And just what is Omega goal? _

_Find out today..._

* * *

><p><strong><span>Episode Two<span>**

**_Into Darkness_**

* * *

><p>The green, reptilian creature, lying on a bed of straw, cried out again and thrashed its body.<p>

The similar creature, sat next to the bed and dressed in purple robes, reached out and touched his forehead. "Be calm Kranos," he said. "It will pass soon."

"But… what I see…" Kranos groaned.

"Hush. Soon he will be here."

"He?"

"The hero. The sealer and slayer of the beast." The creature smiled. "The saviour."

"I appreciate the introduction," a light voice spoke from the back of the room. "But I'm afraid the tales of my deeds are greatly exaggerated."

The creature smiled broader and looked to the back. In the door was a tall man, dressed in a brown cloak, with an orange sweep of hair shaped into a mohawk. His skin was a pale colour and on his back a sword was sheathed. "Tapion," he said. "Come inside. And don't doubt yourself so; your part in that tale of Kontas is well known and revered."

Reluctantly Tapion stepped forward towards the bed. "I presume you're High Master Kinth?" he asked.

The creature, Kinth, nodded. "Yes, it was I who asked you here."

"Why did you ask me?"

"Because I have foreseen it. I saw that you would be here." He nodded at the fevered creature on the bed. Tapion looked at him and knelt down at his side.

Kranos turned to him and struggled to lift a smile. "You… Kinth has told me much about you…"

"Exagerrated I'm sure," Tapion said.

Kranos shook his head. "Kinth never lies."

Tapion nodded. "Your visions… what was happening in them?"

"A storm… A great storm like nothing else… chaos… dying…"

"Dying… The planet?"

"Yes. Disappearing… all so fast…" Kranos grimaced, gasped, strained. "_It_ came… it destroyed…" He coughed and rocked on the bed, before rolling onto his side and speaking no more.

Tapion stayed where he was for a moment then he stood. He looked at Kinth and the High Master motioned for him to step outside. They stepped out of the tent and stood on the plains, lush and green. Above them the sky was blue and cloudless the sun shining down. Other tents were dotted around the area, some of them hanging high on multiple levels. The planet, Bal-Ken, was unusual in that it had not extractable metal resources - everything was constructed from wood and cloth. The planets inhabitants led a largely nomadic cycle of life, as the weather could become highly extreme, though in predictable intervals. Predictable, that was, for the planets inhabitants.

"How long has he been having those visions?" Tapion asked.

"A few weeks now. We sent for you as soon as it began. The pieces must all be in place."

"If he sees the planet dying, why don't you attempt to leave?"

"It is not the way of things." Kinth smiled. "Kranos sees that future and that future is our death."

"But you also see the future?"

"Yes. In my vision you are in the chaos that Kranos sees, but you are untouched." Kinth shrugged. "None of us see the whole picture, we can only see parts. Together we can piece something of a whole message, a whole vision, but not all ends can be seen. And we cannot choose what we see and do not see."

Their walk had taken them to the edge of cliff, where they now looked out onto a calm sea. "A whole culture of fatalism, from a unique ability to see the future…" Tapion muttered. "Ironic. Seeing the future produces inactivity."

Kinth shrugged. "It is the way of things. We have been successful for millennia following this code. In the past, the distant past, our ancestors tried to change things but… disaster always followed."

"Then let me try." Tapion turned to him. "You think I'm some great hero and perhaps I am. If that's the case, then let me try and save your people. There is still time, I could summon the Interplanetary Federation, they could -"

Kinth waved his hand. "No. It would not matter. The future is the future, ours is decided. And we have accepted this. The people are calm and are spending their last moments together." Kinth smiled for a moment. "But for the others," he continued, "we cannot see. We cannot see the fate of the rest of the galaxy or what you will do. But I think I can see the purpose."

"What purpose? What can I do if not save you?"

"Report. Spread the word of what you find and see."

"What will I see other than death?"

"Perhaps if you are observant you will see something that could be vital to sparing others of our fate." Kinth looked at Tapion, his eyes serious. "You know the it to which Kranos refers? The monster that has been terrifying the whole galaxy."

"The Planet Eater…" Tapion breathed. "That's what is going to befall you?"

Kinth nodded, solemn. "And with our death, perhaps you will learn something that can prevent others going the same way."

* * *

><p>"…Scenes of devastation in the basketball court as the chaos continues in the aftermath of the Shadow Dragons attack." The TV screen showed video feeds of the people fleeing the area, the shootings, the subsequent ruckus and the continuing horror.<p>

A tap at the window took Bra and Pan's transfixed eyes away from the screen. At the balcony window was Trunks, Estella in his arms. Bra leapt to her feet and wrenched open the door as Trunks collapsed inside.

"Trunks!" Bra shouted. "What the hell happened out there!? Are you and Estella okay!?"

Trunks raised a hand to forestall further questions as he rested Estella on the couch. She was asleep, though her face was troubled. "I don't know," Trunks said after a moment. "They just turned up out the blue and… damn! It happened so fast!"

"Did you catch them?" Pan asked, stepping over to Estella.

"No."

"What? How did they manage to get away -!" Bra began.

"I don't know!" Trunks shouted. "I couldn't - I ran after them but I couldn't find or see them and I couldn't _sense _them! I have no idea how they -"

Estella stirred and moaned in her sleep.

Trunks took some deep breaths. "I don't know… I just… I just need to get Estella to bed and then…"

"Trunks."

The three looked up. At the top of the stairs, across the hall, stood Vegeta. He wore a long flowing dressing gown, his flame-shaped white hair standing up straight. His face was worn and heavily wrinkled. He held his cane in his right hand.

"Dad…" Trunks said, standing up slightly.

Vegeta surveyed the scene and then made his way slowly down the stairs. "Keep your voices down," he said. "Your mother is in bed. As are Kakarott and his woman." He reached the bottom of the stairs. "Bra, take Estella to the spare room. You go with her Pan." Bra nodded and took Estella up in her arms. She and Pan made their way across to the stairs and up them. Trunks started to follow, but Vegeta halted him with his cane. "Stay. Just for a moment."

Trunks looked at his father, then settled down onto the couch. Vegeta sat on the couch adjacent to it and leaned back into it. He glanced at the TV screen, before picking up the remote and turning it off.

"What happened?" Vegeta asked.

"I don't… We were at the basketball game when they suddenly burst in and fired at Estella and then the crowd. I took off after them but they'd disappeared. I couldn't sense them. Not an inch of them, nothing malicious, nothing. Like they were ghosts of some kind. Then when I got back the people started attacking me and Estella - thinking that I could have saved them like I did her but…" Trunks sat back, frowning, and rested his hand on his chin.

There was silence for a long moment.

"They're getting bolder," Vegeta said. "This success might make them try again."

"You talk as if that's a good thing."

"Perhaps. If they're convinced that they can do something directly it might make them overreach themselves. They weren't sure they could pull this off today, hence why they're valiant leader was not in attendance. If we're prepared for it."

"Not a moment too soon." Turnks sat back. "They're fear-mongering tactics seem to be working extremely well."

Vegeta nodded. "Such tactics normally do. The people likely already feared us and this is now just adding to that. They play a clever game these Shadow Dragons, but they might try to be too clever now." He smirked. "We'll have them soon enough."

"I hope so…"

Vegeta stood up. "It's late. Go to bed Trunks." He started to walk away and then paused. "Oh, if you're staying around for the next few days can you try talking to your mother?"

"About what?"

"I'm not sure. Something appears to be bothering her, but she won't talk to me about it. She might listen to you."

"Okay." Trunks smiled. "Goodnight Dad. And thanks."

Vegeta nodded and then turned and made his way up the stairs.

Trunks sighed. He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. A message from Goten:

"Dude what the hell happened!? R u alright!?"

Trunks closed his eyes for a moment. Then he began to write his reply.

The light filtered through the trees and struck his closed eyes. Uub stirred and turned to his side before finally opening his eyes a crack to assess the morning. It had rained during the night and dew lay on the grass. It was cold but the likelihood was that it would warm up during the day. Moisture hung pleasingly in the air.

He removed his blanket from his body and stretched. Then he stood up and pulled up his backpack, which he had been using as a pillow. He opened the bag and looked inside. They were still there; the five Dragon Balls that he had collected until this point. Just two more remained. He dug inside the bag and pulled out the radar. Tapping the top revealed that he was close to the next one. He slung the bag on his back and began to walk in the direction indicated.

* * *

><p>Kibitokai slumped back into his chair. He was exhausted. Administration shouldn't take this much work, it just shouldn't. And yet here he was, pouring over accounts and details of various sorts and finding that he was more tired than if he'd engaged in a two hour spar.<p>

He really didn't like this new aspect of work that he had taken on.

He sighed and stood up. He'd originally thought that taking on a more hands-on approach would work to improve things. And it had. There were now better records kept logging the number of souls who went to Paradise, who went to Hell and who got reincarnated. He know also had a better idea of who was where in the underworld, rather than just having to rely on guesswork to a certain extent. And he also had agents in the field, that is in the Living Realm, who kept him reasonably well informed on what was going on down there.

But the paperwork… the bureaucracy… it was immense. And that wasn't including the fact that the Kings now had a visible target to send their complaints to…

There was a knock at the door.

"Enter," he said, in what he hoped was a bright sounding voice.

The door opened and Dabura, the King of the Demons, entered the room. He wore his usual white cape, but beneath that now was the black and blue dress of the Kai's - marking Dabura out as one of the Grand's. Part of his promoted role as a 'watcher' (though Dabura preferred the stronger sounding term 'enforcer'). He was in charge of keeping the peace in both Hell and Paradise, especially after many of the former villains had been allowed into the latter.

"Hello Dabura," Kibitokai said, taking his seat again. "Do you have something to report?"

"Yes," the red-skinned demon replied. "Sort of. We finally captured Bujinn, so that's the last of the Bojack gang rounded up. There's still no sign of Cooler. He's probably dead, that's normally what it means when there is no sign. We've found traces of the Ginyu Force but there's no obvious sign that they're causing trouble. We should have them rounded up soon. Then it's just a case of picking up the trail on Dr Gero."

Kibitokai nodded. "Still, at least you got the last of the pirates, before more harm was caused."

"Yes." There was a small pause. "Any further word from Tapion?"

The Supreme Kai shook his head. "Nothing. He's made contact with them, but so far nothing has happened. It's just a matter of waiting it seems."

"Is this Planet Eater really so much of a threat? Others carried out greater scales of carnage in the past, indeed two of them are currently in Hell."

"Yes, but this one troubles me. It's not so much destroying planets as sucking them dry. And it seems completely random. In any case I want it to be checked out. The more we know after all."

"Isn't this breaking with the bounds of non-interference in the living realm?"

"I don't intend to interfere. I merely want to know more." He paused. "And then if Tapion chooses to pass on what he learns to other parties, well then that's his decision."

Dabura smirked. "Ah… now I see why you specifically chose Tapion for this task. He has the connections with the IPF as well. How very crafty of you, if you don't mind me saying."

Kibitokai smiled. "Given the connotations that statement, coming from you, carries I'd say I do mind. But thank you for the compliment anyway."

Dabura nodded and then strode out of the room, returning to his duties.

The Supreme Kai sat back in his chair and placed his arms behind his head. He looked down at the mountain of paperwork on his desk and grimaced. Perhaps I should consider outsourcing…

* * *

><p>Goku made his way down to the breakfast table, the lovely smells of pancakes, waffles and bacon reeling him in, with a cheerful smile on his face. "Morning everyone!" he said to the assembled table, with a wave.<p>

"Morning," came the somewhat muted response.

Goku frowned a little. At the table were Trunks, Estella, Bulma, Pan and Bra. Vegeta, Goku knew, was still resting and Chi-Chi had gone out early to town. Goku took his seat at the table and looked at the others. "Is something wrong?" he asked. Then he blinked. "Hey Trunks, Estella! I didn't know you two were staying over."

"Until last night neither did we," Estella replied.

"Huh?"

"They had some trouble," Bra said. "The Shadow Dragons attacked them at the basketball game last night."

Goku's expression darkened. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"A few people," Trunks said. "Not us, but they fired into the crowd and I… I couldn't stop them..." He gripped his fork tightly, such that it snapped.

Estella put her hand on his shoulder. "You can't blame yourself for that," she said, softly. "You reacted on instinct to go after them. And you couldn't have got to everyone. It wasn't your fault."

Trunks sighed. "I know but..."

"She's right Trunks," Goku added. "I know it's difficult to accept, when you think it over, but what she says is true."

"Thanks..."

"Did you manage to catch them?"

"No. I couldn't sense them. I don't know how or why but they managed to get away."

"Dang..." Goku frowned and crossed his arms. He'd tried, in the past, to grab something, some kind of unusual power signature, that would perhaps indicate the Shadow Dragons. But nothing. Not one wisp. "I wonder why they would attack you so openly…? They must have known you were going to be there…?"

"Boy this must be really occupying your mind Goku," Bulma said.

"Huh?" Goku looked up at his best friend, who smiled across at him.

"You've been down here for two minutes already and you haven't touched any of the food."

As if on cue Goku's stomach rumbled, as if to remind his master what his priorities should be. Everyone laughed as Goku rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, yeah, thanks for reminding me Bulma!" With that he moved on from thoughts of Shadow Dragons and began to pick up the food that he wanted to eat.

After a moment Bra and Pan stood up.

"Bye Mom," Bra said. "We need to get a move on to University."

"Oh yes..." Bulma blinked a little and then glanced at her watch. "I forgot about that. Aren't you running late though?"

"Class starts in five minutes, we'll be fine. After all it's not like we have to hide the fact that we can fly anymore."

"That's true." Bulma smiled at them. "Have a good day."

"We will!"

"Bye," Pan said.

"Bye Pan, you have a good day too!" Goku said, between mouthfuls.

She smiled slightly at her grandfather, before the two of them headed out the front door.

Bulma turned to Trunks and Estella. "Are you two wanting to stay again tonight?"

They shared a glance and then Trunks shook his head. "No we'll be alright. Thanks for the offer though. Besides, I know you need the spare room for Kuriza when he visits."

Bulma sighed and placed her fist on her temple. "Don't remind me. I've already had the Prince of Sulks moaning about having Frieza's spawn in the house all morning."

Trunks laughed. "That sounds like Dad." He then looked at his mother with a curious expression. "Are you okay Mom?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I'm fine." Bulma smiled.

"Okay… You just look a little distracted that's all."

"No not really. Just worried about you after last night."

Trunks nodded and smiled. "Well, don't worry. We're fine." He stood up and Estella got up alongside him. "I'd best get to work, otherwise I'll be late."

"How can you be late?" Estella laughed. "You're next door."

"Because I'm going to be taking you home first, my darling princess."

Estella sighed and rolled her eyes. "Ever the prince charming."

Bulma and Goku chuckled.

Trunks and Estella said their goodbyes, as Trunks then hoisted Estella into his arms and hopped out of the window. He hung in the air a moment and then began to fly towards Central West City. Goku watched them go and then returned to filling his plate and stuffing his mouth.

"Hey, Goku?" Bulma said after a moment.

"Yo?"

"Do you remember Emperor Pilaf?"

"Pilaf!" Goku brightened up a bit. "How can I forget. The short blue imp who wanted to wish for world domination!"

"That's the guy!" Bulma laughed.

"Yeah. Can you imagine what a world ruled by that guy would have looked like?" Goku chuckled.

Bulma laughed harder. "Oh stop, I'm too old to laugh this hard."

Goku smiled. "Boy that was a long time ago..."

"Uh-huh. Do you ever wonder what happened to him?"

"No… not really," he said. Then he shrugged. "The last I saw of him was when I got the last Dragon Ball to wish Upa's father back. Although Master Roshi did once tell me that he was involved with King Piccolo… Don't know what happened to him there, I never saw him involved." He paused. "Why were you asking?"

"Oh, no reason. It just popped into my head and I wondered." She was silent for a moment. "Well, anyway, I should probably be on my way to work." She stood up. "I'll see you for dinner. Whatever you do, don't break the gravity chamber and don't, under any circumstances, allow Vegeta to use it. Even if he tempts you with a sparring match."

Goku laughed. "I won't. You have my word."

"Thank you." She smiled. "Well, bye."

"See ya!"

Goku watched Bulma exit via the front door. Then he turned back to his food. There was a half-eaten pancake on the plate. Goku rested back in his chair and stared at it, touching his finger to his chin in thought.

* * *

><p>Tapion stared up to the sky. Beside him was Kinth. They had been sat there together for some time now. After the meeting with Kranos Tapion had been treated to a meal by Grand Master Kinth. He had been surprised, almost shocked, by the happy way in which people were seemingly accepting their fate. Everyone knew about the advancing destruction, even the children, but no one was upset. They were making jokes, rubbishing the irony of being able to see the future and do nothing about it. They even wished Tapion well on his future quests and hoped he'd be able to use whatever knowledge he got for good use.<p>

Now, though, they were sat on their own. The other people were spending time with their families. There was a sense that it was the last hours, though no one knew the time that the vision of the future would come true. There was only the waiting.

"It's not going to happen," Tapion said.

Kinth glanced at him. "What makes you say that? There's still time."

"Too much time," Tapion replied. "We could have all left this planet by now. You'd all be safe."

"That is not the future."

Tapion sighed and stood up. "I know that. I know that's not what Kranos saw. But it doesn't have to be written in stone. The future can change."

"How do you know? You cannot see the future, you don't know how it works. You think you change the future through your actions, but if you can't see the future then how do you know you're not working towards it? Your belief in change arises from a pessimism for what it holds, a fatalism. We, on the other hand, accept things as they are and enjoy the time that we have."

"I suppose. I have seen that. But… still..." He looked down at Kinth. Then he shook his head. "Ah, never mind. I'm going to sleep."

"You no longer wish to observe?"

"No. There's nothing out there. Like I said I doubt it -"

Suddenly a soft, but loud noise, caused Tapion to turn his head. His eyes widened in shock. Stabbed into the ground, some ten metres away from him, was a tendril of infinite darkness. The tendril stretched up from the ground and all the way into the sky, beyond the clouds. With similar soft, loud and wet noises other tendrils slapped into the ground around the village. Tapion whirled around himself. The villagers went and stood outside, looking up at the sky. Kinth got to his feet and rested his staff on the ground.

"It begins," he announced.

Tapion ran to him. "Quickly!" he shouted. "You must have some means of transport! Let me get the children out in any case!"

"No!" Kinth shouted. "You can do nothing. You must observe and protect yourself. Do not waste this chance!"

Tapion felt weak. His legs wobbled beneath him and he struggled to keep his head clear. Around him he was aware of people falling to the ground and he could feel the earth beneath his feet becoming harder and then softer. He reached down and grabbed the ocarina.

Kinth fell to his knees. His face began to age, his eyes receding into his skull as the scales on his body fell away and his body thinned. "Thank you, Mighty Tapion. I knew I was right to ask the Supreme Kai to send you here..." he breathed.

"Wait… You mean… Kinth - you!"

But Kinth only raised his finger to his lips in a gesture of silence. Then he collapsed backwards and his body began to crumble, turning to dust before Tapion's eyes. Quickly Tapion shoved the ocarina to his lips and began to play. The sweet music played out and he began to feel a great pressure on his body lift. His body raised up from the ground. All around him the world seemed to warp. People collapsed and their bodies broke apart. The green of the ground turned brown and hard, cracked and then turned to sand. The tents of the villages fell down, the wood rotting and breaking apart, crumbling to pieces. Tapion tore his eyes away from the scene, from the black tendrils that were stabbed into the ground, and focused his eyes on the sky. The clouds were there, obscuring his view, but they began to move…

Suddenly it was over. As quick as it had begun the tendrils withdrew and snapped back into the sky. Tapion's music ceased and he dropped lightly to the ground. There was nothing left. No people, no creatures, no life. The whole planet, he knew, was now one enormous desert. He collapsed to his knees. Images of the people, of Kinth and what he had done, ran through his head. Tears stung his eyes and collapsed onto his knees and retched onto the ground. He held himself like that, body shaking, breathing hard, before he pulled himself onto his haunches.

But he had seen it. Just before the tendrils had withdrawn he had seen. A small black shape, outlined against the blue sky. A ship.

He had seen the Planet Eater.

* * *

><p>The door swung open and Goten, his long spiky hair flowing behind him, dashed into the office.<p>

"What the hell happened!?" he shouted.

Trunks, looking up from his desk, poked his pinky finger into his ear and twizzled it around. "Boy Goten have you ever heard of indoor voices?" he asked.

"Sorry," Goten replied, a little sheepish. He slumped down into the comfy red chair on the other side of the desk. "I was just really excited."

"I know, don't worry," Trunks smiled at his oldest friend.

"So what the hell did happen?"

Trunks chuckled to himself. "You have no idea how often I have heard that question, phrased in exactly that way, over the last twenty-four hours."

Goten laughed and Trunks joined in. The two were friends since childhood and they had an infectious quality that rubbed off on one another. Trunks had invited Goten along, to give him a full account of what had happened, but he had also done it because he knew that his very presence would be enough to cheer him up and put himself at ease. It would also be a good opportunity to hear the views of someone he respected a great deal.

"Now!" Goten slapped his knee. "Enough dawdling - give me the story!"

Trunks smiled and then recounted what had happened. Goten listened patiently as the story was relayed, and only interrupted to express his surprise or ask for clarification of certain points. At the end of it he sat back in the chair, crossed his legs and turned to look out of the window onto the city.

"They're trouble," he said, after a long moment. "There's no doubt about that."

"Yes. The question is what can we do about it?"

"I guess it's like what you said Vegeta told you, we just need to be aware that they're getting bolder and that they could try something new." He paused a moment. "Is Estella okay?"

Trunks nodded. "I was a bit nervous about leaving her on her own, but I've kept my mind on the apartment. She's fine there, I can sense nothing abnormal in her ki signature."

"That's good. I wonder why you couldn't sense theirs though?"

"Search me. I suppose I was quite agitated. Maybe if I'd stopped to think for a little, calmed myself down, then I could have..."

"Hey! None of that!" Goten raised his finger. "You can spend hours going over what you could have done or should have done, but it didn't happen. I doubt you could have caught them, they're tactics were done deliberately to make you get emotional and lose your concentration so that they could escape. As it turns out this tells us something more about them. They're at least aware of our abilities with sensing to a certain degree. Otherwise they wouldn't know to hide themselves like that."

"Yeah, I guess so. It's just really bad for public relations."

Goten groaned. "Tell me about it…!"

Trunks looked bemused. "I thought you were pretty much isolated from all of that."

"Really? Do you have any idea what it's like picking up girls in bars these days? _Everyone _knows who I am and the story is _always _the same. You have a few drinks, you take them home and then the same question over and over again: 'show me the blonde mode! The blonde mode!' Ugh…" Goten slid down in the chair, so his shoulders rested on the armrest.

Trunks laughed. "Why does that matter? Sounds like you have it easier."

"Really? Do you think it makes it easier fretting about the fact that potentially my Dad, my brother and my niece know when I'm about to have sex?" Trunks laughed even harder, doubling over. "It's not funny!" the half-Saiyan shouted, but he couldn't stop the smile from creeping onto his lips.

"Ah, so that's the solution!"

Gohan looked at Mariah and smiled. The bluenette had an exited smile on her face as she stared down at the calculations. "It's much simpler than I thought it would be," she said. "It's like when you've been staring at a puzzle, in a game, for ages and then you suddenly realise what the answer is and you kick yourself."

"Yes, solving math problems can be like that sometimes."

"Thank you Dr. Son!"

"Oh, just Gohan."

The girl stood up. They were sat in the office that Gohan shared with his colleague, although Dr Stour was out at present. After a long day, though fortunately one in which he was not burdened by teaching, Mariah had come to see him as she was having difficulty solving some of the problems that were set. Gohan, ever happy to help out a student, agreed and had spent some half-an-hour guiding her to the right answer.

"Thanks very much," she said, putting her papers in her bag.

"It's no problem. Feel free to drop by anytime. In office hours obviously."

She giggled.

"And how are you feeling otherwise?" Gohan asked.

"Oh, fine. Just keeping up with work, nose to the grindstone."

"Do you see your family often?"

"No. I mean, they live out in West City. It'd be a long trek to see them and I have so much to do."

"I guess so. Are you on your own here?"

"No, I live in a one room flat with my boyfriend. Why are you so interested?"

"Just concerned. After what you told me."

The girl paused and frowned a little. "Yeah. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you think that… You know, I'm over it…"

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that if you need someone to talk to, about it, then I'm here."

The girl blushed. "I… Well that's very nice of you Dr Son - Gohan… I…" She took a couple of steps back. "Well… thank you for your help and I'll, I'll see you in class!"

"Yeah, see you," Gohan said with a wave and a slightly confused look.

Mariah waved back, giggled and then ducked out of the door.

Gohan slowly lowered his hand. Had it been his imagination? Or was she…. Nah… He shook his head and turned back to his computer. It was nearly going home time. He turned the radio on and began to close the programs that were running.

"…ven coma patients who went missing over a year ago. The Health Ministers resignation will be deeply felt by the government, whose poll ratings continue to be in very low figures. Rioting broke out in the East City slums, with military called to help -" There was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Gohan called, turning the radio off, wondering if Mariah had left something behind.

"Hellooo?" A man stepped through the door, wearing a suit.

"Ah, Joe, take a seat," Gohan waved the man, the Director of the Physics department, over. "What can I do for you? You've not come to bludgeon me with more first year classes have you?"

Joe laughed. "No, no, better news than that."

"Oh? You're giving me second years."

"No. I've approved your application for sabbatical research funding."

Gohan's eyes widened in shock. "What? Really? But I thought…"

"That the department would never authorise it on the grounds that you're such a massive draw. Well yes, that's true, but we figure that we need to reward you for your work, so we've approved a one-year sabbatical for you to do your work, on the condition that you do still continue PhD supervision and give the Don Wale Memorial Lectures as agreed."

"That's fine with me!" Gohan said with a grin. "How did you manage to swing this?"

"Well, it wasn't all for your good nature. I did have to inform the board that West City University was making a bid for your signature and that frightened them into submission."

"Are they? I didn't know they were?"

"No, but I did. I have my spies here there and everywhere."

"You make it sound like some kind of cloak and dagger operation."

"It's academia, it's more or less the same thing."

They both laughed.

"There you have it then," Joe said standing up. "Glad I was the bringer of good news for once."

"Yes. Thank you."

Joe stopped at the door. "It's a one year sabbatical Gohan, but you're smart enough to get this finished in six-months. Do that and then take a holiday with your family. I know things are tough with the unwanted attention you're getting. Especially with these dragon faced bastards out there."

"Thank you Joe."

Joe smiled and tipped an imaginary cap. Then he walked out of the door.

Gohan turned the radio back on and hummed to himself as he packed up his things.

* * *

><p>"Emperor Pilaf?"<p>

"Yes, you know? A small blue imp?"

"No I do not know, Goku, I never saw him!"

"Oh, sorry."

Baba, elder sister of Master Roshi, slipped off of her crystal ball, with an exasperated sigh. She had just been about to close her fortune-telling parlour for the day when Son Goku had turned up. She hadn't seen him for ages and then without so much as a how do you do he asked to know some information. There was no point in sending her warriors to face him, he'd win without breaking a sweat. Still, it was typical Goku…

"Alright, I'll look for this Pilaf person for you. But next time I want at least a cursory donation for my troubles."

"You bet!" Goku said with a laugh. He paused a moment. "Actually, could you also search for the Shadow Dragons?"

"That I cannot do," Baba said as she waved her hands in front of the crystal ball.

"How come?"

"My brother came to me with that request about two months ago. I tried but I could not see them. Some how they've protected themselves. Besides which their codenames and abstractness make it hard to hunt them down. In order for this to work well I need specific information and proper names."

"Ah," Goku said a little disappointed. "Never mind then."

"There we are," Baba announced. Goku peered into the ball. He could see a square, one floored, building against a vast whiteness. "That's in the northern tundra. You should be able to find it, there's very little out there and with your speed."

"Yes. I've been there before." Goku nodded, remembering his battle against General White. "I'll find it. Thank you Baba."

"Why are you so interested in this particular case, may I ask?"

"I don't know. Bulma brought it up but there was something weird in the way she was looking and talking. It makes me think that her remembering him wasn't wholly spontaneous. Might be nothing though."

"Ha, think, you? There was a time when such words would have never crossed your lips."

Goku laughed. "That's a little unfair granny."

"Please don't call me that…"

"Okay. Thanks Baba!" With that he floated up into the air.

"Be careful," Baba called. The Saiyan waved at her and then flew away, heading north. Baba's face fell and she glanced back at the crystal nervously. "You may not like what you find there…"

* * *

><p>Goten sighed as he stepped down into the subway system. The talk with Trunks had gone well, at least in so far as he was able to reassure and cheer up his friend. But he was still troubled by what he had learned. Things, it seemed were not going to get any easier. He swiped his card on the turnstile and made his way along to the platform where his train would come. The place was very crowded, with lots of people making their way home on the rush hour. Deep underground the subway was hot and stuffy, with walls various different versions of grimy.<p>

"Hey! Hey you!" a girl's voice floated out to his ears.

"Oh no…" he groaned and began to edge down the platform.

"You're that guy aren't you!? One of the super people!"

"This is all I need…" he muttered. "I should really get my hair cut… or get a mask. Maybe both…"

"You have a mask!?" the excitable voice said, close by. "I do too! Look!"

With a sigh Goten turned his head -

And was confronted with the blue face of a frowning dragon.

A powerful blow struck Goten in the chest and he was hurled across the platform, over the heads of the commuters, smashing into the wall opposite.

"Fuck - a Shadow Dragon!" someone screamed and then the whole platform panicked and began streaming out of the area.

Gamma advanced towards Goten, who was picking himself off of the floor.

"You know this is perfect," Goten said, with a smile. "You're the bitch who attacked my best friend and his wife? Well I'm going to enjoy taking you down."

He leapt forward, raising his hand up to strike -

But his momentum halted when his hand was caught. He twisted his head to see another Shadow Dragon, this one with a green dragon with a crazy expression, looking at him. "I'm Sigma," the man said, before smashing his leg into Goten's stomach. Goten doubled over and his nose broke as Gamma's fist crashed into his face. He flipped backwards and landed on his feet, holding his nose. Blood streamed down his face.

"Right. No more playing around." Goten dropped his hands to his side and concentrated. Focusing his energy, the ground around him rumbling with the debris lifting up, he let out a yell as a golden aura swept around him, his long hair lifting slightly and straightening out. "You guys just chose to mess with a legendary monster," he said, with a grin. "And boy am I angry."

With that he leapt forward, lightening quick, and slammed his fist into Gamma's face. The Shadow Dragon flew back and crashed into ground along the platform. In the same motion Goten swung around and roundhouse kicked Sigma, who rebounded off of the tunnel ceiling and landed on the lines. The active lines electrocuted him and sent him spiralling into the tunnel wall.

Goten looked around, satisfied with his work. He walked towards where Gamma was slowly picking herself up off of the floor. "I have to hand it to you I am impressed," Goten said, clapping his hands together. "To survive a punch from a Super Saiyan is no easy feat." He paused. And frowned. "Come to think of it, you should be dead. I didn't hold back there. And how were you even able to knock me into the wall?" He stretched out his thoughts, seeking to read Gamma's ki… but… nothing? "What the hell…?"

Suddenly a blow hit him in the back and he collapsed forward. Arms locked around him, underneath his shoulders and held him tight. Sigma. "How did you get back up!?" Goten shouted as he struggled. Gamma darted forward and delivered a series of punches to Goten's chest and stomach, snapping ribs and winding him. He felt himself weakening. Then he threw his head back and smashed Sigma off of him. He dived forward and launched his own volley of punches at Gamma, who managed to dodge and deflect most of them but was caught a few times on the chest and head.

Goten slammed a kick into her side and darted back, flipping over Sigma's advance. But Sigma had anticipated this and swept around, firing a straight kick into Goten's side that knocked him onto the track. Goten held himself in the air, to stop from falling onto the tracks, but it was at that moment that he noticed the loud noise and twisted his head in time to see the advancing subway train with the horrified driver.

Too late. The train crashed onto Goten's legs, sending him spinning down the tunnel, bouncing between the ceiling and the top of the train. He rolled out of the tunnel onto a new platform and swept himself to the right so that he landed on the ground rather than the tracks. People stared down at him as he pulled himself to his feet. He struggled to put pressure on his right leg - it was dislocated at the knee.

"Shit…!" he hissed. "Just what are these people!?"

"Are you okay?" a nearby woman asked.

"I'm fine. Get the hell out of here!"

"Why? What's -?"

Gamma and Sigman burst out the tunnel, running along the tracks, and leapt up onto the platform. Goten whirled and fired two energy blasts at them, but they were blocked against their hands. People screamed and fled. Goten raised his arms into a defensive position.

Gamma cocked her head. "What's the matter Saiayn? No bravado anymore? No desire to attack?"

"No…" Goten smirked. "Just plotting something new." He flashed up his hands and fired two energy blasts into the ground, sending debris and smoke spiralling into the air. Gamma and Sigma raised their arms to shield themselves when a golden flash rocketed through the smoke and smashed into Sigma, scraping him along the platform ground.

Goten threw his fist down but Sigma caught first one and then the other. Goten pressed down on him, intending to crush him into the ground, but he was shocked found himself being pushed back, his knees weakening, as the crazy face of the dragon bore down on him. Goten roared and head butted Sigma, knocking him back and then he detonated an energy blast in his chest, sending him streaking into the wall. Goten was about to charge after, when a sound caught his attention and he whirled around in time to knock away an energy beam. The beam smashed through the tunnel wall and detonated, sending part of the ceiling crashing down.

Gamma lowered her arm and darted to the right, heading out of the platform.

"Oh no you don't!" Goten shouted and pursued her along the passages ways.

They entered a crowded lobby, where people were milling, uncertain what to do as rumours of an attack began to run around. Gamma raised a gun and fired it into the air. The crowd screamed and ducked down. She whirled and fired back at Goten, but the shots were deliberately wide and they struck the bystanders, sending them screaming and clutching their limbs to the ground as blood pumped out.

Goten grit his teeth and kept his focus on Gamma, as she leapt down an escalator and ran down a side passage. More gunshots rang out and there were more screams as people flooded the platform entrance. Goten fought his way past them and exited onto the platform.

It was empty, save for a couple of bodies that lay on the ground.

"Shit!" Goten shouted, whipping his head left and right. He couldn't see anything. And there was no telling where she had run off to. And why couldn't he sense her? He was right there in front of her and…

His eyes widened. He whipped his head up in time to see Gamma drop down, feet first, onto his head slamming him into the ground. A hail of fists rained down on him and he raised his arms as best he could. Then with a roar he flared his aura, knocking her back, skidding along the platform. Goten leapt to his feet and pulled his arms to his side.

"Ka - Me - Ha - Me -!" Azure light broke out from the cracks of his fingers. "Ha!" He roared, pushing out and opening up his hands, as the blue energy wave jetted out towards Gamma. Gamma raised her hands and the beam slammed onto them. But it did no damage. Gamma was not forced back. She just stood there, calmly holding the bam.

Angry Goten pumped more energy into the attack, but it produced no better result. Before he could push even further he saw Sigma flying at him out of the corner of his eye. He broke off his attack and flipped backwards as Sigma's fist flailed in thin air. Gamma and Sigma raised their arms and fired successive volleys of energy blasts at Goten. The Super Saiyan raised his arms, defending himself, but the weight and frequency of the blasts was forcing him back.

"Enough!" he screamed and threw his arms to his side. His aura flared and spiked, becoming jagged at the sides. The sheer power threw Gamma and Sigma onto their backs. The walls around Goten began to crack and crumble, powder and brick falling down around him, the ground beneath his feet breaking up and rising into the air. His scream continued and his aura became wilder and wilder. His muscles began to expand, pumping with new energy, his body bulking up, as his power continued to rise -

_Crack!_

And then it all went in a second.

Goten's eyes widened and his mouth opened but no sound came. His body went limp instantly and he fell face forward onto the ground. He lay there, still except for the slight convulsions.

Behind him stood Omega, one hand raised. The grinning white dragon looked down. He had smashed the palm of his hand into the base of Goten's skull, snapping his spine and nerve endings. Goten rasped, struggling for breath. Omega leaned down and took a syringe from his pocket. He slapped it into Goten's chest, and pressed down pumping adrenaline into his heart. Goten's eyes widened and his body convulsed. Omega removed a small breathing apparatus and shoved it into Goten's mouth, which hung limp. He then wrapped a belt around the Saiyan's chin and cranium and tightened it, holding the breathing apparatus in place. He pressed a button and air was forced into Goten's lungs.

"Omega…" Gamma said, stepping forward. "There was no need, we had -"

"You had lost control of the situation," Omega said. "Had he controlled the power he was unleashing you would have both been killed. And you took too long, enjoying playing with him, intoxicated with your own strength. The military is on it's way and we need to be gone before they get here."

"We… we're sorry…" Gamma said. Sigma bowed his head.

"Your punishment will be severe when we return." Omega stood. "But for now we need to leave. Pick him up and carry him. We go now and quickly."

Sigma stepped forward and picked Goten up in his arms. Goten tried to resist, but he could not move any part of his body, no matter how much effort he exerted. His head twisted, but that was the most he could do.

The three dragons, with their prey, slipped down onto the tracks. Silently and calmly they walked down the tunnel, to a side door. Omega slipped a key into the lock and opened it. Light filtered through the other side, illuminating the tunnel. They stepped through and slammed the door closed, plunging the tunnel into darkness again.

* * *

><p><em>Hey everyone! Thanks for reading this latest installment of Dragon Ball XVI. I hope you enjoyed it!<em>

_Once again I apologize for the very long delay. Unfortunately I got swamped under a lot of things - both work and just general not very good real life stuff - so I wasn't able to get this done on time. I fear the quality of it may have suffered, but I hope not. Also sorry it's not that long. There were at least three scenes cut from this that have been moved to the next episode, as it will fit better and make the flow of the episodes got smoother. Expect a very long episode next time!_

_Also sorry if I've been bad at replying and catching up with story updates - I should be catching up with everything this weekend._

_Anyway there's no real notes for this episode; except to make it clear that Tapion has a dual function as an ambassador of the IPF and also works for the Supreme Kai (hence why he was being crafty in getting around the non-interference principle) and Kinth was lying when he said he saw a vision of Tapion being there - he asked for Tapion to come so as to observe (effectively altering the future, despite what his cultural precepts are)._

_I hope the opening 'last time' wasn't too silly or distracting. I was going to put a refresher in, as it had been so long since the last update, and thought 'hey, why not do it DBZ style'? I don't know if I'll keep it for future episodes - if the reaction is negative then certainly not ha, ha!_

_Anyway some answers to questions:_

**Q: ****Bulma Could Just Add In That they Are Earths Only Defense Against Big Threats, and it Would be a Shame if the Government Just Pushed them of the Planet**

_A: If they were thinking rationally they might consider that; unfortunately they are not and are quite panicked (as the references to poor poll ratings and rioting in East City are I hope indicating)._

**Q: 28 lights... 28 years since Raditz was there hmmmm coincidence? I think not!**

_A: Maybe, maybe not... I shall not tell! ;)_

**Q: Another great chapter, I liked the bit at the end and was totally on Trunks' side when people started attacking his wife, and was that signs there that Gohan is gonna be obsessed with finding Omega? Also, it'd be cool if Pan is the hero of this one to get her out of her funk.**

_A: Gohan has been obsessing over it, but he's also aware that there isn't a lot he can do at the moment. They're just in the position of waiting for a mistake to be made. I'm glad you liked that part, I did want to illustrate the real issues that they're beginning to face with everyone knowing about them, but not fully understanding them._

_I have Pan's arc planned - fear not she won't be sat on her behind for the whole story!_

**Q: This was really well written, and well proof-read to as I couldn't see any errors whilst reading, so good work! Omega seems to have some powers himself if he's lifting Miles up without touching him, and the fact that Trunks couldn't sense the other Dragons leads me into thinking something bigger is going on here. This Planet-Eater is going to be interesting and I'm assuming that it has something to do with that seemingly looking Black-Hole that Raditz saw with the girl that waited. The ending with Trunks just made me hate people, but I could also see why they would be angry seeing as they've lost loved ones and those internet murdering videos can't be doing to good in their minds. But to be fair Trunks did shield that all from a grenade for crying out loud so he clearly saved a good few of them! I'm quite surprised that Gohan or Bulma haven't made some public announcement stating their inability to sense the Shadow Dragons though, and that might take the heat of them to. I'm worried about how Mr. Satan's dealing with all this to be honest, and the fact that Vegeta hasn't been revealed yet leads me to believe he's suffering even worse than the last time from old age. Can't wait for the next one!**

_A: I hope it was worth the wait! You're managing to pick up on a lot of things here. This chapter might give some more clues as to the Shadow Dragons and just how it is their operating. You're along the right lines with regard to the Planet Eater, but I won't say anymore for fear of spoilers! I'm glad that the people's reactions, and motivations, are coming through. I wanted to portray what I thought would be the realistic response to such scenarios - the sense of awe, and fear, that people would have. A public announcement probably wouldn't work, not at this stage anyway. It would just come across as making excuses, and could make the position even more untenable. At the moment there is a general feeling that if they could do something they would have, but it is slowly slipping away. Vegeta, as you can see, is suffering a bit worse but he's still around. As for Mr Satan, he'll be making his appearance in the next installment._

**Q: Good to see Gohan hasn't lost his wit in his "old age" it's almost funny how screwed the Shadow Dragons would be if they managed to anger one of the Z Fighters, even Yajirobe who by now is probably useless, he used to be quite competant in Dragonball, add the fact that he has his sword which apart from Future Trunks no one really uses, and he is deadly if he wants to. I wonder what the SD want? Why are they doing this? They seem to be definitly sociopathic, seeing nothing wrong with murder as long as they get what they want. Goku must be really old if 50g is straining him. Ah yes, when Vegeta and Nappa arrived on Earth, but giving Bulma an ultimatum is a bad idea, she is probably the richest and most powerful woman on the planet, well, not in terms of raw power, but influence wise. I doubt Vegeta would be happy if he found out, then again, llittle makes him happy other then his family and sparring with Goku, and food, there's always food. I wonder how Piccolo and Dende are doing? It's almost hilarious how the guy threatening Bulma treats the Dragon Balls as if they were just cool toys, they can screw with reality, bring the dead back, reconstitue planets, give someone immortality or eternal youth, and that's just what they've done in canon. I doubt he realizes the full power of the Dragon Balls. Then again, few do.**

_A: The Shadow Dragons aren't quite as screwed as you thought ;)_

_I like that observation you've made about how they're viewing the Dragon Balls. That's exactly right - they are just thinking that they're a quick fix solution to their problems. After all why devote time to fixing economic and social issues, when you can just summon a dragon to magically do it all for you? The motivations of the Shadow Dragons will be revealed in the course of time, though there are hints of them here and there. Piccolo and Dende will be appearing in the next installment (there's a lot of things that got moved in the name of pace here!)_

_As ever my thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing - it really does make me happy! I should be back on schedule now, so look in again at the end of the month. Believe me the next episode is going to be a real humdinger!_


	4. Episode Three: The Heart of Darkness (1)

**Episode Three**

_The Heart Of Darkness, Part 1_

* * *

><p>Son Goku flew over the tundra in the north. The white wastes below were cold and he found himself shivering as he pushed through the cutting, icy winds. He was really beginning to wish that he had stopped by Capsule Corp. first, to pick up a heavy jacket, when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. He halted himself in the sky and peered into the gloom.<p>

Yes it was definitely a building. And of the same shape that he had seen in Baba's crystal ball. He paused in the sky and rubbed his arms vigorously. His thin gi did not do much to block out the cold. The black shape in front of him was one-floor, roughly square in shape. It was quite large, stretching well back into the haze of snow. Goku slowly dropped out of the sky and his boots sunk deep into the snow beneath him. Carefully he made his way forward, in the direction of the building. He stretched out with his mind, feeling the ki of the people there. It was hard though; he could not pick out anything specific as the cold was giving him a headache and interfering with his ability to sense.

Searchlights spun out from the large towers, located at the corners of the compound. The light was fairly ineffective though. Goku eventually made his way to the wall, a large stone structure with spikes at the top. No problem for someone with the ability to fly. Cautiously he lifted himself up into the air, being sure to keep his eyes on where the searchlights were, and flipped over to the other side. Landing silently in the snow he pressed himself back against the wall. Ahead of him he could see a doorway into the imposing, grey, building in front. To his right a couple of soldiers were walking forward, their coats wrapped tightly around themselves. Goku crouched down and stretched out with his senses again. Now that he was closer he was able to pick up life-signals easier, though the headache still made it hard to pinpoint accurately. There was no one behind the door in front of him, but that didn't mean much. He knew from his time at Capsule Corp. that CCTV cameras could be employed, and he wouldn't be able to pick them up. Allied to this was the problem that he didn't know what Pilaf's energy signature was, so he'd have to search for him by conventional means.

The two soldiers on the round passed by in front of Goku. They were keeping close to the building and weren't heading out much further. Goku peeled his eyes to the right, keeping watch on the lights of the search tower and then glanced to his left. No other people were around except for those in front of him. Slowly he lifted himself out of the snow and silently floated over it towards the door, keeping his eye on the soldiers constantly as they tramped past. Eventually the two soldiers were past the door and Goku flew in to that wall, hiding behind a outcrop from the building. He looked down at the door. Card-key access and pass code. Very secure.

He sighed and rubbed his arms, looking up. He'd have to find another way in. Hopefully there'd be some access point on the roof. Slowly he began to raise himself up towards the top, keeping his eyes and senses open to potential sighters.

He was having a hard time imagining just what Pilaf was doing in a place like this.

* * *

><p>"And what of the witnesses?"<p>

"There were only a few who saw anything for certain. We think we've managed to grab all of them."

"You think or you know?"

"Well, with so many people, it's hard to be sure..."

Agent Falsen sighed. Called out to control the scene of a whole super-powered bust-up on the subway system? Stop word of it from getting out? And do that with half of the forces out hunting around for small, golden balls with stars on them? Sometimes she didn't think the King appreciated how impossible his demands were…

Her assistant was, of course, completely right. There was no way of knowing for certain if they had managed to grab everyone who had seen what happened and could report on it. They would, likely as not, have to go and sweet talk with the press to make sure, but even that didn't halt rumours from spreading. She shook her head. There was no other alternative.

"What should we do now?" her assistant, Bagley, asked.

"Shove the people we've got somewhere for interviewing. I'll handle that myself. Get the repair teams in and make sure this place stays locked down. Put out word that there's a gas leak issue, or some crap like that. We'll have to work overtime if we want to get this up and running for tomorrow morning."

"Yes Ma'am."

Bagley hurried on his way.

She stepped out onto the platform. A hole was blasted into the side of the tunnel wall and part of the ceiling had collapsed, littering bricks and debris everywhere. It was a wonder the place was still holding together. Several emergency service units were treated people wounded on the ground and carefully moving them. Others were clearing away debris whilst they waited for the repair team to arrive and get to work. She crouched down and placed her finger on her chin. Parts of it didn't make much sense. From the jumbled initial accounts she had heard the Shadow Dragons had been involved and had injured several people, firing at one of the Super's as he chased after them. The bullets had struck the people around him. Some had died, the rest were in intense care. That was what wasn't making sense. Looking at the damage to the tunnel, there was no way that a Shadow Dragon could have possibly contested with a Super - not without similar powers. They'd be annihilated. Yet they'd fired a gun… why?

"Agent Falsen?"

She snapped her head up. Bagley.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Head office is on the line, they want to speak with you."

She growled in irritation. "Can't it wait? I'm busy investigating down here and I'd have to go outside to get the signal."

"They say it's urgent. Something about the North. You're the most senior officer so..."

She hopped to her feet and kicked a stone onto the track, with a sharp exclamation of anger. She didn't care if that caused more work. "Thank you Bagley," she said, in a calmer tone of voice, knowing it wasn't the man's fault. Then she stormed out of the tunnel and bounded up the stopped escalator towards the surface.

This had _better _be good.

* * *

><p>"I'm fine Mom..."<p>

"Oh I know, I know," Uub's mom said. "But I still worry about you. I mean, I know there's nothing that could actually hurt you in the whole world given how powerful you are." She laughed.

"Yeah..."

"Will you visit sometime? Promise me you'll visit sometime soon."

"I will do Mom. I've just got something I want to do." Uub sat back against the tree trunk, his blanket wrapped around his lower body. He was at the side of the sea, the water having rolled in. The waves were gently lapping at the shoreline. His backpack was to the side. He glanced over at it. Inside there were six golden balls, the Dragon Balls. Just one more to go. "But I'll be done soon. I'll visit as soon as I've finished."

"Okay… Well you know, if you ever want to talk..."

"I know. I know Mom."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too Mom."

There was silence, his Mom stayed on the line for a moment. Then she hung up. Uub put the phone in his pocket. He glanced up at the sky. Nighttime, but there were no clouds. And no lights from below. He could see the stars perfectly, thousands of them blanketing the whole sky. He looked down again, at the stars on the Dragon Balls, glinting in the star and moonlight. One more to go. He would get it tomorrow, journeying past West City.

He turned and rested his head on the ground. He shut his eyes and lay there, not thinking of anything. In a few moments he was asleep.

* * *

><p>Goku slowly floated down the ventilation shaft and then along it as it ran parallel to the floor. He avoided touching the sides or creating any noise. Peeking through the occasional ventilation bars he could make out a polished floor below and could hear the voices of people talking. Men in white coats, as well as guards would occasionally walk by. He kept his senses alert, trying to pick up on any kind of useful signal as to where Pilaf could be. Unfortunately he hadn't yet managed to discern anything.<p>

The ventilation shaft led around until he was in a dark room. A store cupboard. As good a place as any, Goku thought. He placed his hand on the bars. Slowly he raised the power in his hand, charging a ki ball. The heightened heat of the ball ate through the bars, melting them down until they opened enough so that the Saiyan could squeeze through. He dropped down to the ground. He crept over to the door and rested his ear against it. He could not hear anything outside, nor could he sense anything. He turned the handle and opened the door a crack. He stepped out with the door, looking left and right. The corridor was long, narrow and very clean. Fluorescent lights illuminated the whole area. It had the feel of a hospital. There was a camera at the end of the corridor, but it was turned away from him.

That was lucky!

Stretching out with his senses he could pick out energy signatures around the corridor, but none of them were in a position that would place them on the walkway. Goku darted over and pressed himself against the wall beneath the camera. The path ahead was straight, with a number of doors at the side. At the end it split into a junction, turning right and left. Above him the camera whirred as it turned the other way.

Okay, Goku thought. As soon as that's pointing away from me I'll make my way down there. Which turn to take though? And I still can't pick up where…

A door, halfway down the corridor, clicked and it began to open.

Crap!

Two men in white coats stepped out. They were looking down, studying a clipboard.

"The patient seems stable," one said.

"They say they want to question him again soon."

"I do wish they wouldn't. It always gets so troublesome."

"Wait." The two stopped. "Did you hear that?"

"Here what?"

"A sort of _dzitt _sound?"

"No..." The man looked baffled and looked over his shoulder. The door slowly shut behind them. "It was just the door closing you idiot!"

"No I swear I did -"

"Oh just can it will you!" The two started on their way. "This place is plenty freaky enough without you adding to it..."

From behind the closed door Goku stepped back and let out a sigh of relief. Thinking quickly he has used his instant transmission to appear behind the two men and then quickly slip into the door. He turned around and surveyed the room he'd entered. It was low light and quite small. No Windows. A desk was at one corner of the room and, taking up most of the space, was a curtained off section. A machine was humming softly outside the curtain and repetitive, harsh breathing came from inside it. A steady _beep, beep, beep_ issued from another machine.

Seeing nothing else to do he crept over to the curtain. If there was someone behind there he might be able to give him directions to where he needed to go. It was a long shot, a very long shot, but what else could he do? He gripped the curtain and slowly slid it away from the wall.

As it turned out he wouldn't need to ask for directions. The Emperor Pilaf was behind the curtain. Goku's eyes widened in shock.

The small blue imp lay in a bed that was far too large for him. A sheet was pulled up to his chin. Over his mouth was a breathalyser, a clear plastic cup held with elastic behind his ears. A drip feed snaked from the machine outside the curtain and under the sheet. Pilaf looked old, his skin wrinkled and shrivelled. But that was the least of it. A whole half of his face was scarred badly, vein like lines squirming like worms along the surface. He had been burned, badly. Part of his right pointy ear was missing and his left eye socket was heavily swollen. A bandage was wrapped tight round his forehead and stains of dirty blood were soaked into it.

"Pilaf..." Goku whispered.

There was a small splattering noise and the left eye, bruised, cracked open.

"You..." a harsh, grating voice issued from the imp's throat. "I know… you..." He coughed. "That hair… You're much older now… but I'd recognise that style… anywhere..." Shaking, his left hand moved out from under the sheet. It was heavily bandaged, spots of blood on the white, and the fingers were crooked. He touched the breathalyser and moved it to the side then grinned up at the Saiyan, showing off a mouth that was more swollen gums then it was teeth. "Hello… Goku..."

"Pilaf..." Goku crouched down at the side of the bed. His mouth was dry. "What happened to you?"

"They… They..." He coughed. "They came to me," he began again after a moment. "Don't know how they… they found me but… They wanted to know about the Dragon Balls…"

"Who's they?"

"Don't know why I didn't tell them… Don't know why I didn't tell them about you..."

"Pilaf it's okay."

"I'm sorry… I tried… but they hurt me… Hurt me so much that I couldn't..."

"What are you…?"

"I told them. About the Dragon Balls… and then they asked for more… and I told them about Bulma and the radar… and they left me alone, at last… Don't know why I didn't say… pride maybe… Never had much else..."

"It's all right, I'm going to get you out of here okay?"

Weakly Pilaf shook his head. "No… There's no more… Just, please, shut the life-support machine off. Such pain I can't… I just want to sleep..."

"I can help you!"

He laughed and then coughed, grimacing in pain, body contorting. "That's… funny… After what I did… to you… you want to help..."

"Pilaf..."

"Just a silly creature… with silly dreams… But I did try Goku… I promise you I tried…" He looked up at him, his one eye watering a little. "I did my best..."

Goku smiled at him. "It's okay… Don't worry about it..."

"Now… please… the machine..." He coughed again.

Goku reached over and rested his finger on the machine button. Slowly he depressed it.

_Beep, beep, beep -_

Pilaf sank back into his pillow. His arm dropped to his side.

_Beep… beep… beep…_

He sighed. Something vaguely resembling a smile seemed to cross his face.

_Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_ -

Goku hung his head.

The door burst open behind him. Guns clicked.

"You there! What are you doing!?" the soldier shouted. Several of them were packed into the front of the room, all with rifles aimed at the Saiyan.

Goku did not move.

"Get up! Hands above your head!"

Slowly Goku stood to his feet.

"Now! Hands above your head! Do it!"

Goku did not move.

"Hands -!"

Suddenly golden fire erupted around his body. His hair stood on end, spiking, waving and gold. His body turned in a slow circle. His face was contorted in fury and the green eyes bored into the assembled soldiers, causing all of them to take a step back in fear.

* * *

><p>Piccolo opened his eyes. He was floating, cross-legged, at the centre of the Lookout. He had been meditating, under the night sky, his cape fluttering behind him, but now his mind was called to attention by a sudden spike in power from the north. He recognised it as bearing the imprint of Goku. But that was a little odd… What in blazes was Goku doing in the north?<p>

He stood up and walked towards the edge of the circular platform. He wore a turban on his head and the usual purple, loose fitting gi beneath his weighted cape. Behind him he heard Dende, another smaller Namekian, exit the palace and walk along to where Piccolo was.

"What's going on?" Dende asked.

"It's Goku," Piccolo said, stating the probable obvious. "I don't know why he's powered up like that or what he's doing in the north."

"Is it something to worry about?"

Piccolo paused for a moment. "I'm not sure. I can't sense any other high power levels in the vicinity."

"A training exercise perhaps?"

"Hopefully."

_Dzitt!_

Piccolo and Dende spun around. Behind them was Goku, powered down now. In his arms he held the small body of a blue imp. Goku's expression was drawn, sad.

"Goku!" Piccolo said. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain in a moment," he replied. "Dende, is there anywhere I can bury Pilaf?"

"Who?" the guardian asked.

"Pilaf," Goku repeated, gesturing to the body in his arms. "He's an old… friend I suppose. He died and I want to bury him but… this seemed like the best place." He shrugged.

Piccolo studied the body in his friend's arms. "Doesn't look like he died of natural causes," he commented.

Goku ground his teeth.

Piccolo nodded at Dende. "We'll go down to the inner cemetery. There should be some places there."

"Right. Follow me." Dende led the trio, with Piccolo walking alongside Goku as they made their way towards the inner chambers of the palace.

* * *

><p>Pan woke up. She sat up in the bed and looked around her. The room was empty. She was in Bra's room, spending another night there. She occupied one half of the enormous Queen size bed that her friend had insisted on installing. At the opposite end of the room was a large wardrobe, to the right of that a flat-screen TV, and a floor strewn with dirty clothes. She glanced at the digital alarm clock next to the bed. 02:04<p>

Odd, she thought. Where could she be?

Yawning she searched for Bra's energy signature. And found it coming from the basement.

Pan frowned. What's she doing down there?

She swung her legs out of bed and plucked her red shirt from the floor, pulling it over her head. She tugged on her shorts as she stepped out of the room and into the hall. It was quiet and dark, the eerie hum of electricity mixing with the silence. She padded along the landing and down the stairs, moving over to the basement door that was located at the base. She opened the door and stepped down the metal stairwell, wincing a little at the cold on her barefeet. Having reached the bottom she found herself in Bulma's lab. The automatic lights snapped on and she shielded her eyes before walking forward. She was locked onto Bra's energy signature and she followed it along some of the turning corridors until she found herself outside the gravity chamber.

A low hum was issuing from the chamber, informing her that it was on. Bra was definitely in there, though. A digital panel was situated next to the heavy door. The number on the panel indicated that the gravity in the room was ten times that of Earth. Pan frowned and tugged open the door. The gravity chamber was a large room, circular, with a tiled floor and a semi-spherical room. In the centre of the room, sitting cross-legged, was Bra, wearing a loose fitting white T-shirt and sweat pants.

The green haired girl looked up and smiled. "I was beginning to think you wouldn't get down here at all," she said.

"What are you doing in here Bra?" Pan asked. The door shut behind her. She could feel the increased weight on her, the pressure on her body pushing her towards the ground, but it was sufficiently weak that she could shrug it off. "It's gone two AM."

"I'm aware of that. Sit down." She patted the ground in front of her.

Still confused Pan walked over and sat down where instructed, adopting the same position as Bra. "What are you doing down here?" she asked again.

"I wanted to work on my abs," Bra replied.

"At this hour? And what am I doing down here?"

"I wanted you to help me. And I thought we could have a talk about boys whilst we're doing so." She winked at her.

Pan was even more confused and she looked to the side, her eyebrows narrowing as she tried to work out just what it was her friend was doing. "Bra… Seriously what -"

Suddenly Bra's eyes shot open wide. A kiai wave issued forth and slammed into the surprised Pan, knocking her across the room and slamming her into the back wall. Bra relaxed back and adopted the smile that she had before.

"Ow!" Pan shouted, rubbing the back of her head. "What the hell was that for!?"

Bra adopted a look of wide-eyed innocence and placed her hand on her chest. "What was what for? I didn't do anything."

Pan grit her teeth. Then she took a few deep breaths and calmed herself. She walked back to where Bra was. She sat down in front of her, adopting the same position as before. She looked at her friend calmly with a neutral expression. Bra merely smiled in reply. Suddenly her hand shot up and another kiai wave slammed into Pan. This time she readied herself so that she only slid back only the floor, halting her momentum before she hit the wall. She stood up and glowered.

"Okay. I can see what you're doing here, but I'm telling you kindly to stop. It's not going to -"

Bra jumped to her feet and her expression set. A golden aura flared around her and her hair rose up, turning yellowish-gold, as she turned Super Saiyan. Before Pan could respond another wave slammed her back into the wall and held her there. Bra kept a steady stream of power going so that Pan was pushed further and further into the wall.

"Come on Pan!" she taunted. "What are you going to do? Are you just going to keep getting pushed back?"

Pan tried to pull herself forward but the wave was too much. Don't push me… don't…! Her teeth grit and the locks of her hair began to lift. She shut her eyes tight, tried to contain the feeling, let it wash past her.

She's almost there… "Hit back Pan!" Bra called out.

"No…" She fought, grinding her teeth, squeezing her eyes, tightening her fingers.

"Or can you only do that when you have a tattoo on your forehead now!?"

Her eyes snapped open.

With a roar a golden aura burst to life around her and she jetted off of the wall and slammed her elbow into Bra's chest. The air was forced out of her lungs as she was rocketed off the room and smashed into the wall behind her and held there as Pan's left hand swept up with two fingers poised to claw at her eyes. Her face was contorted in fury and she was breathing fiercely.

Bra blinked a few times, her head feeling woozy, noticing the fingers in front of her. She managed to maintain her Super Saiyan state. She glanced down at Pan and her lips twitched into a small smile. "Well at least that finally managed to get a rise out of you..." she said.

Pan looked at her friend. She started to calm her breathing. She felt something warm flowing onto her arm. She looked down. Trickling down Bra's neck was blood, coming from the back of her head where she'd been hit against the wall. Pan pulled away immediately and collapsed onto the floor, the golden aura dissipating and her hair falling down, turning black again. She stared at her arm with the blood on it. Bra, losing her Super Saiyan state, dropped down to the floor and rubbed the back of her head. "Ow..." She pulled her hand away and looked at the blood on it. "That's going to be a nightmare to explain… And being super human I can hardly claim I fell down the stairs..." She gave a sidelong look at Pan and grinned. "Sorry Pan but looks like I'll have to blame..." Her expression turned quizzical as she studied her friend. "...Are you okay?"

Pan was still staring at the arm, with the blood on it. She was panting, a cold sweat breaking out on her body. Tears began to drip down from the corners of her wide, staring eyes.

Bra quietly crossed over to her. "Pan…? It's okay… You didn't do anything wrong, okay? I was pushing you, I wanted you to react like that, okay?" She touched her friend on the shoulder. Pan looked up at her startled. "It's okay."

Pan skittered back along the floor. "I hurt you!"

"No! No I'm fine I'm okay! I was being an asshole, I deserved it anyway!"

"I… I… I hurt..." She looked at her hands. Covered in blood. A high-pitched laugh rang in her ears, one she distantly recognised. Her breathing sped up, a pounding in her head, something blocking her chest, her throat -

"Pan!" Bra dashed over. "Pan stop! Breath normally!"

She retched, the vomit projecting out, falling onto her hands -

"Oh jeez! Pan listen to me, I'm sorry, okay? I just wanted to get you out of your funk that's all." Slowly she raised her head. Bra smiled at her. "I'm sorry okay? I pressed too hard. I was just worried about you. I just wanted to help."

Her vision began to darken. She blinked. Bra slowly faded away, her expression turning concerned. She was opening her mouth but no sound came out. Soon darkness was all around. And then from the darkness came a hand, a sickly green hand, and two glowing eyes. And following it the laugh rang again, louder and clearer, accompanied by a small golden spark in the distance, lightning crackling around it, that grew larger and larger as something approached -

Pan screamed.

She kicked out, knocking Bra back and scrambled to her feet. She had to get away. She hurtled to the door - have to get away! - and wrenched it open - have to get away! - and bolted down the corridor - have to get away! - slamming through the exit - have to get away! - into the open air - have to get away! - and she took off, blasting into the clouds.

Bra ran after her, shouting herself hoarse for her to wait, but she was too late. By the time she got outside Pan was gone.

"Pan… shit!" she shouted, kicking the wall in frustration and putting a hole in it.

"Bra!" She heard the voice of her father shout and her back stiffened. "What the Hell is going on out there!?"

"Shit..." she cursed again.

* * *

><p>"What's going on then?"<p>

Piccolo asked the question, but Goku did not respond. They were sat in what passed for the palace throne room. Goku was sat on a chair in the corner, his arms resting on his knees, looking down at the ground. He was lost in thought. Piccolo stood at the door, his arms crossed, resting his back against it, whilst Dende sat on the small palace seat, Mr Popo by his side. They had gone there shortly after the burial of Pilaf. The burial chamber used had been at the edge of where the bodies of the old guardians were buried; a large somewhat ethereal chamber that nobody felt wholly comfortable stepping into. A small stream ran through it and Pilaf's body had been placed into it by Goku. As the corpse drifted along the stream the ground seemingly absorbed the body into itself, accepting the burial. They had stood in silence for a moment, before Goku had stepped back. Dende had then led them to the palace chamber. They had been silent for a long time, before Piccolo broke it.

"Hmm?" Goku looked up. "Sorry Piccolo, what did you say?"

Piccolo sighed. "I asked what was going on."

"Oh." He looked down again. His brows furrowed. "I'm not sure I can answer that question. I don't think I know myself."

"Start from what you do know then."

"All right..." Goku recounted the story, from his suspicion regarding what Bulma had said, finding out the location of where Pilaf was and his discovery when he was there. "And that's about it."

Piccolo raised an eyebrow. "I sensed your power skyrocket."

Goku gave a small, sheepish smile. "I guess I got a bit angry. Nobody died though."

Dende sighed. "That's a relief."

Goku sat back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair. "Gaah it's all a mess!" He crossed his arms. "Do you two have any idea of making sense of it?"

"A guess," Piccolo said after a moment. "It seems clear to me that Bulma's been approached by the King's men. What they said to her I don't know, but I presume it's bad. Least ways they implied that something had happened to Pilaf and that occupied her mind, so she either by accident or design sent you out looking for him. I don't know what her reaction will be when you tell her about this."

"You think I should tell her?"

Piccolo nodded.

"I don't know… she's a friend… if she's in trouble..."

"Goku, sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind. Bulma needs to be told, otherwise she's unlikely to tell you what's going on. She needs to know that these people mean business. Or at least have it confirmed that they do."

"I guess..." Goku rubbed the corners of his eyes with his finger and thumb. "I'm just… still shocked by the cruelty… why would anyone do something like this? Least of all to Pilaf."

"Because they're desperate," Dende said. "People can do horrible things when they're desperate, or convinced of their correctness. Sadly this kind of cruelty isn't limited to monsters of Frieza's ilk; it can be found anywhere given the right circumstances."

"Why are they so desperate though?"

"The King's personal ratings are through the floor, the economy of West City is collapsing, there are overpopulation problems in all the other major cities which is leading to a rise in slums and civil unrest, secessionist movements are breaking out as the King's authority is questioned and a terrorist movement is striking fear into the hearts of people and making them fear and question you." He pointed at Goku and then sat back. "Take your pick really."

"How do you know all that?"

"You don't watch the news do you?"

"Not really."

"I thought not… Look, the trouble is that the King is going through a very rough period, subsequent to the battle that took place last year and it's spiraling far outside of his control. From what you've told us about what Pilaf said I think that he's latched onto the Dragon Balls as a solution to his problem. One wish and everything returns to normal. The world is saved from falling apart and his own standing is saved. The problem is, of course, how do you find them? Well, for a sophisticated spy network like the one he has it wouldn't take long to work out who would have the means of doing so. Pilaf was evidently tracked down in relation to this and he, unfortunately though understandably, spilled about the dragon radar. At a guess I'd say that was what they were after."

"Wow, you sure know a lot Dende!" Goku said, impressed.

"I'm the Guardian of the Earth. I could hardly do my job without knowing about the place's history, politics, culture, economics and such could I?" He waved at the corner of the room, where Goku's attention was drawn to an enormous pile of books; stacked wall to wall and floor to ceiling.

"You read all of those?" Goku asked.

"Yes," Dende replied, with a slightly morbid tone. "Trust me, whatever difficulty of training you undertake it will never compare to the trial of slogging through all of that material."

"I think Gohan owns about half of those. You could have asked him for help."

"Anyway," Piccolo interrupted. "As fascinating as this is, we need to get back to the topic at hand. Firstly there is no way that Shimazu -"

"Who?" Goku cut in.

"- the King," Piccolo added, slightly annoyed, "can get his hands on the radar or the Dragon Balls. I doubt his intentions are noble in this instance and, should he have it, I doubt he will surrender it on the completion of his wish. The Dragon Balls were never meant for selfish wishes like this anyway."

"We used to use them all the time like that," Goku countered.

"Circumstances weren't quite the same. We wouldn't have abused the power and I think the principle of actions having consequences needs to be held. I don't trust the King to just use them for a one off wish. In order for him to get the radar though he needs to have some kind of hold over Bulma, enough to warrant her being worried about things. She hasn't acted as far as we know though."

"She gave the radar to Uub and… I guess he still has it."

"Should we check that?" Dende asked.

"No," Goku said immediately. "Uub… is going through a lot. He needs space. I'm sure Bulma feels the same way."

"Still having trouble huh?" Piccolo asked.

"It's… difficult..."

"I think we can rule out Uub having lost it to them. The chances of them stumbling across him would be incredibly small. Hell I don't even know where he is."

"So what are we going to do?" Goku asked.

"You need to get the full story from Bulma. Then you need to let Dende and me know. Together we can maybe put together a plan of action. But we need to be careful. As I'm sure even you are aware things are getting difficult out there for your families and the people like us, thanks to the Shadow Dragons. If this is handled wrong things could spark off in a bad way. The last thing anyone wants is a war breaking out."

"Right..." Goku sighed and stood up. "You know I'm really missing the days when we just had someone strong we needed to beat up. Everything is so damn complicated now."

Piccolo smirked. "It's politics Goku. Welcome to the adult world."

* * *

><p>Pain. Pain sears through his consciousness. Pain so great it almost doesn't register. A numb feeling. Gohan's eyes turn and he sees his left arm float away, almost like in zero gravity, blood pooling out from it as it arks. The pain hits then and he lets out a yell. His other hand reaches out to grasp the shoulder, the blood spilling out from the socket.<p>

Laughter. He looks up. Majin Maladie, skin sickly green interlacing with purple stripes, a long tentacle curving back from his head, grins at him.

Gohan snarls and lunges forward with another punch. His fist is caught and Maladie swings down and then delivers an uppercut that slams into his right cheek - breaking it and detaching the retina in a burst of blood and fluid. Gohan's body collapses backwards but he manages, somehow, to steady himself. With a roar he unleashes an energy wave. Maladie lazily rasies a hand and blocks it, holding the wave steady in the air. He then raises his other hand and the wave redirects back to Gohan. It blasts over him, knocking him backwards, stripping his flesh. Before he can recover or steady himself Maladie delivers a kick to his back, breaking his spine.

He falls, falls to the floor. Face down in a pool of his own blood. It had taken only four moves to beat him. Just four. He tries to move, tries to summon the energy, but he can't.

"So very foolish..." Maladie sneers, standing above him.

Gohan groans. Tries to raise himself. "What… What are..."

"Didn't you ever wonder why?"

"What?"

"An eternal magical dragon that has such arbitrary rules attached to what it can and what it can't do. Didn't you ever wonder why?"

"What are you talking about?" Gohan raises his head. His eyes widen. Standing above him is Omega, the grinning white paper dragon mask looking down at him. A gun points at his head.

"Number nine," Omega says. "How many more, I wonder?"

The gun thunders and the world breaks away and Gohan falls, falls into darkness, falls on and on -

* * *

><p>He gasped and shot up in the bed. He was sweating and panting, his pajama shirt and trousers sticking to his body. He looked around him. The room was normal, the wardrobe and drawers at the left of the room. The window to the right. The desk, with the computer, in front. Next to him, in the bed, was Videl in her pajamas, sleeping soundly.<p>

Just a nightmare, Gohan thought. He rested his forehead on his hand. Just a nightmare, that was all. He rested his head back on the pillow and shut his eyes. Sleep wouldn't come. With a sigh of frustration he clambered out of the bed and checked his watch. 2:15 AM. He sighed again and then padded across the room and silently slipped out of the door.

The landing was dark, only a small moonlight filtering through the ceiling window. Pan's room was dark and he could not sense her presence. She must have spent another night around Bra's. He reached up and touched the stump where his arm had been. The dream had brought back a vivid memory of the pain. It was not the first time he had had it, but this was the most powerful version that had come along.

He stepped into the adjacent room, his office, and sat down at the desk. He booted up the laptop and sat back in his chair, putting his hand behind his ruffled hair. He thought back on his dream. The wisps of it were fading but he managed to remember the parts of it that formed his memories. And there was something else… something small that was nagging away at him… he couldn't remember if it was a memory or a dream…

He couldn't get it. Snapping his fingers in frustration he gave up trying to remember. The harder he tried the more indistinct the dream became and the less he could remember. He slipped a earphone bud into his left ear and started the video.

"Please!" the young man, his head covered, pleaded. "Please don't - I'm sorry! - Please don't kill me - please - someone - anyone - save me! - Mariah - !"

The shot fired and pierced through the bag. The body rocked back on the chair, blood spurting out the back and dribbling down the neck. The Shadow Dragon, with a paper mask with a blue, frowning dragon, stepped into the camera shot.

"Number three now," the dragon said. "Will we be stopped before we get to five? I doubt it."

Then the video cut out.

He had found it. It had been torturous going back through the videos but he had finally found the one in which Mariah's cousin was killed. He sat back in his chair and thought. Having looked through all of the videos, now, he was starting to piece together some things. For one the location always looked the same, so he presumed they operated out of the same place. For another it was always Omega who did the killings, except for the video he had just seen. Lastly no other Shadow Dragon ever appeared in the camera.

We don't know how many they are… and they probably keep to the same location because it is well hidden and isolated. They can't be in any of the major cities then, they're all too compact. They'd have to be somewhere outside of them. Warehouses perhaps, or abandoned buildings. And it'd be safe to assume that they are all two man operations; if on the off chance they did get caught they wouldn't want to lose the whole operation. He pulled up a map function and surveyed West City, using the satellite imaging. He methodically went around placing pins over any buildings on the outskirts that looked like they could be used. He paused halfway through it and sat back again. They would surely know that one of us would try this though, he thought. They seem to know a fair bit about what we can and can't do… But… Hmm… What else can I do?

He started to go through his process again, still thinking over the videos and trying to think of any clue in them that could be used. Something didn't feel right, something was nagging at him, something was telling him he'd missed something. But he couldn't work out what it was. Not for the life of him.

Then he stopped and stood up. A large power was approaching and approaching fast. He focused his mind for a moment. What could… Pan!

There was a loud whumping sound as he sensed his daughter crash into the ground outside the house. Gohan shut the top of the laptop and bolted out of the room. Videl exited from the bedroom, looking worried.

"What was that?" she asked. "I sense Pan… is she?"

"No idea," Gohan replied, leaping down the staircase and then wrenching open the front door.

A spray of dirt covered the front of the house. A large, deep, hole was now dug into the front garden, a mound of earth piling at the top of it. Gohan crept forward and peered over the edge. Pan was lying curled up in the ground, sobbing to herself.

"Pan?" Gohan asked. Videl was at his side and she bit her lip when she saw her.

"Pan?" Videl called. "Sweetie?"

Pan choked back on her tears and shakily turned her head up. "M-mommy… Daddy..." She dipped her head back into her arms and whined. "I-I did a… bad… thing..."

"Oh darling..." Videl floated up and then into the hole. She wrapped her arms around Pan and hugged her tight. "What's the matter? What happened?"

Pan shook her head vigorously and continued to cry. Videl patted her on the back. "It's all right," she said. "We'll get you inside and I'll make you something hot to drink, okay? Would you like that?" Pan nodded a little. "That's okay. Sssshhh, I'm here..."

Cradling the girl against her Videl slowly rose into the air and stepped onto the grass. She slowly walked, with Pan leaning against her, into the house. Gohan began to follow them but stopped and looked to his right. His neighbour, a rather angry looking man, was glaring at him from the front doorway.

"You know," he said, crossing his arms. "It would be welcomed if you super people could keep your domestic problems quiet and inside. People _are _trying to sleep around here."

"Well go back to bed then!" Gohan shouted, the force of it being sufficient to put cracks into side of his neighbours house and unsteady his footing. The man quickly scurried back inside, slamming his door. Other lights began to click on along the street. "Sorry," Gohan called, a little sheepish, raising his hand in apology at the twitching curtains. "Lost it a little there!" He grinned and then turned back to the house, shooting another murderous glare at his neighbour's, and muttering curses to himself. He closed the door softly and then padded over to the living room.

Pan was curled up at the sofa, a blanket wrapped around her, still sniffing. Videl was at the kitchen units behind, heating something in a pan. Gohan walked over to the sofa and sat down beside his daughter. She glanced at him and then glanced away. A moment later Videl came over with a mug of hot chocolate which she handed to Pan. The girl smiled her thanks and blew on it. Videl sat next to her, between her and Gohan, and put her arm around her daughter. Pan took a sip of the drink.

"Thanks," she said . She sniffed. "It's really nice."

"That's okay," Videl smiled at her.

They sat in silence for a moment. Videl and Gohan exchanged a look.

Gohan cleared his throat. "Pan," he began. she looked over at him, her eyes weak and red. "We're worried about you. The manner of your arrival and the way you look... Well..." He stopped and scratched behind his head. He wasn't good at this.

"What your father is trying to say," Videl cut in. "Is that we'd like to know what happened. But we don't want to pressure you. If you don't want to talk about it, then that's completely fine."

Pan looked away. "No..." she said after a moment. "Its fine... I need to talk..." She took a deep breath. Her body shook.

"Just take your time," Gohan said.

She nodded and swallowed. She breathed out. "I... I hurt Bra..." She paused and glanced at her parents. Their expressions showed nothing but concern and patience for her. It gave her courage. "She... She was concerned about me and about how I've been for... For all this time. And she wanted to snap me out of it by pressuring me and taunting me and I just snapped and hit her and hurt her... And some of the blood got on my arm and..." Tears started to flow again from her puffy eyes. "It came back to me… those memories of what happened, of what I did and I panicked and ran away and..." Videl took the mug away as Pan buried her head in the sheets and sobbed. "I could hear my voice again! That horrible laugh and all those images and… and… everything!"

Videl hugged her tight. "Oh sweetie. It's okay, it's alright. You've done nothing wrong." She rubbed Pan's arm through the blanket and kissed her head. "You're alright." She glanced over at Gohan, concerned. Her husband nodded at her. She leaned back and kissed Videl again. "Now I'm just going to give Bra a call and let her know that you're here and that you're fine."

"Okay Mom. T-tell her I say sorry okay?"

Videl smiled at her. "Sure. I will do." She stood up and moved out of the living room and up the stairs. Gohan sidled along the sofa to sit beside Pan. She didn't look up and kept her head buried in the blanket.

"Pan… I know what you're going through..." he began.

"How can you know?" she asked. "I'm a monster. I hurt everyone with what I did. Nearly destroyed the world because of it."

"Pan you were being controlled by Maladie."

"Was I? Sometimes I'm not so sure..."

"Well… listen… I do know what you're going through. I don't even have the excuse of being controlled by someone else." He chuckled a little and then sighed. "When I was a kid I had to fight Cell. And my hidden power got unleashed. And the power… it was immense. And all I could think about was using that power to torture Cell, to make him feel more and more pain. Because of that he had the time, and had sunk to a state of sufficient desperation, to set himself to self-destruct. Dad sacrificed himself to kill him, but that didn't work and Cell came back stronger. Eventually we managed to win. But I was so frightened by my contact with that power that I swore off of it. Apart from Bojack, when it was necessary, I didn't dare go near it again and I renounced fighting and training of almost any sort. The Buu came. And I always thought that if I'd kept going, if I'd kept working, if I hadn't been so frightened of myself, then I could have done something. I could have stopped things before they got out of hand, before Buu even got released."

Pan was looking up at her father now. The tears had stopped. "Perhaps," she said. "But you couldn't know that, or know any of that."

"No, but you can never know the future. You can only bank on its unpredictability." He smiled at his daughter. "You're going through what I was doing then. You're scared by your own power and the reaction to it. And that's okay. I hated fighting and I still do. But as a good friend once said to me fighting for the good isn't a sin. And nor is using your power for it." Pan's lip wobbled. "Take as long as you need to come to terms with yourself and with your power Pan. But don't close off a part of who you are in a frightened reaction."

Pan sniffed and wrapped her father in a big hug. Gohan put his arm around his daughter and held her tight.

"Thanks," Pan said after a moment. "I love you Dad."

"I love you too Pan."

* * *

><p>Bra, shaking a little, sighed in relief and sank into the sofa. "And she's definitely alright?" she asked again.<p>

"Yes," Videl replied over the phone. "Don't worry about it."

"That's a relief. I really thought I'd messed up bad there."

"No, no. I should thank you, in a roundabout way it does seem like it might have worked."

"That's good. That's real good. Thanks for calling and letting me know. And I'll… tell Pan that I'm sorry and that I'll give her a ring tomorrow."

"I will do. Goodnight Bra."

"Night Videl!"

Bra took the phone off her ear and tapped the red phone symbol on the screen. She sighed and then flipped the phone onto the sofa next to her and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin on her hands. She grinned and fluttered her eyelashes. "Sorry, what was that you were saying Daddy?" she sung. "Something about me always screwing up everything?"

Sitting across from her, in his dressing gown, Vegeta glowered. "Don't be a fool Bra," he growled. "Things could have easily gone worse for her and you're very lucky that she flew to her parent's house. You made an error and you should accept that."

"Errors? Like the ones you made?"

Vegeta leaned forward on his cane and stared into his daugther's eyes. "I would expect my children to have the sense to learn from my errors, not follow them." He sat back on the sofa, maintaining his gaze on Bra.

She sighed and slumped back in the sofa. "I'm sorry Dad… I know… I know I messed up… I'm just feeling so stressed right now."

"Off to bed with you then," Vegeta said. "You have an early start tomorrow as I seem to recall."

She groaned. "God I forgot about that class… Maybe I'll call in sick." Her father glared at her. She gulped. "I said that out loud didn't I?"

"Yes. Bed."

"All right, all right." She flipped herself onto her feet and made her way towards the stairs, rubbing the back of her head as she went.

"Bra?"

"Yes?" She turned around. Vegeta was looking over his shoulder at her.

"Does your head hurt?" he asked.

"Uh… no, it's okay now. It was just a small cut, well small relatively speaking. I'll just have a shower before I go to bed and it should be fine."

"That's good." Vegeta turned his head away.

She smiled. "Thanks Daddy. I love you."

He grunted in response. She walked away up the stairs, yawning and stretching her arms as she went. Vegeta stayed on the sofa, resting back onto it. He stared out the window at the city line, visible with the lights on in the windows. He closed his eyes for a moment. Kakarott's not here… he thought. Where is he? … The lookout? What's he doing there?

He tapped his cane on the floor and opened his eyes. He would have to ask his friend what was going on when he got back. He didn't like being kept out of the loop.

* * *

><p>Dawn was beginning to break over the city tops. Agent Falsen downed her third cup of coffee in a desperate attempt to stay awake. She was presently sat at the top of the King's tower, the room just to the side of the palace chamber as it happens. The room was not that large, seating only a board room table with six places, with both walls having reinforced glass that looked out onto the village below. Two other agents were there and she recognised both of them. Baldwin and Jackson, a tough looking man wearing sunglasses propped on his hair. The other man she knew as the King's senior adviser, Leonard, whilst the other, a girl, she had been told was the secretary and who would be taking the minutes of the meeting.<p>

Falsen glanced at her watch, sighed, sat back in her chair. When was this going to get started? Was the King even out of his bed?

As if on command the double doors at the opposite end of the room opened and King Shimazu, flanked by two military guards, stepped inside. Everyone stood to attention, but with a flick of his wrist Shimazu returned them to their seats. He sat at the head of the table and placed his elbows on the table, meshing his fingers together. He was young looking, with slicked back black hair and dressed in suit. His eyes were narrow and sharp. He looked around the room for a moment and then the eyes settled on Falsen, making her immediately feel nervous. He nodded at her. "Begin," he said.

"Ah… right… thank you, sire," she stumbled over her words and then paused, took a breath to calm herself. "As some of you may be aware the subway system in West City has been closed due to a gas explosion. Unfortunately I am required to inform you all that that is not true. What happened was an attack by the Shadow Dragons on one of the supers."

The people shifted in their seats.

"The damage was pretty heavy. I think we managed to round up all the eyewitnesses and got them to sign forms saying they would say nothing. Just to be sure we also spoke to the press and for promises of future preferential information and a not insignificant amount of money they have agreed to not print the real story and alert us if anyone comes forward as a witness to sell the story."

"More money we don't have being fettered away," Leonard sneered.

Before Falsen could angrily retort the King held his hand up. "Given the circumstances I believe Falsen did what she could," he said. "There should be no reprimand."

"As you say, sire," Lenoard replied, bowing his head.

"Thank you for your understanding sire," Falsen said, unable to contain herself from shooting a grin in Leonard's direction. "We've contained the situation for now, but there are some unfortunate conclusions to draw from and not just the casualty list."

"How do you mean?" Jackson asked.

"It seems that it was a full on brawl down there, at least that's the only way I can explain the damage. Which means that we may have to assume that the Shadow Dragons are supers themselves."

Silence descended on the table.

"Well isn't that dandy..." Jackson muttered.

"What leads you to this conclusion?" Shimazu asked.

"The extensive damage. And some witnesses claimed that they were going toe-to-toe in a fight. The only logical conclusion to draw is that they must be capable of the same feats."

"Eyewitnesses can be unreliable," Shimazu said.

"It would perhaps explain a lot though sire," Leonard said. "Remembering Miles botch-up with the Dragon Ball."

"Perhaps. The particulars of that case are still not fully known as I recall." The King fell silent for a moment as he thought. "I'll consider this issue at length before making any decision. The Shadow Dragons for the moment will remain a priority only insofar as they have the experimental Pod Corporation capsule and the Dragon Ball. The supers remain a non-concern. I'm content to let that buffoon Hercule handle their PR. Now was there anything else?"

"Yes, sire, but I think Jackson should be the one to report." Falsen nodded to her colleague.

"Thank you," Jackson replied, leaning forward on the table. All eyes turned to him. "I received a report yesterday evening, that we're done processing the particulars with now. Agent Falsen assigned me to it after it turned out to be too much for her to handle, alongside the subway incident."

"What has happened?" Leonard asked.

"Basically our secret 'research' facility in the North is not so secret anymore. One of the supers descended on it and, by all accounts, made a right mess of it." He paused a moment. "The facility is mostly destroyed, but most of the prisoners were recovered. The others will likely die of the cold before they reach civilisation so we're safe from that point of view. The supers don't seem the kind to advertise this sort of thing as well, so PR is a non-issue."

"God's sake!" Leonard slapped the table in frustration. "Couldn't any of the soldier stop this from happening? There was a near total military presence there!"

"The commanding officer said, and I quote: 'It was like fighting a fucking hurricane - a sentient hurricane in the form of a person. Half of my men are being evaced for emergency medical treatment and the other half are being taken away to mental institutions'. Excuse the language sire. From that I think we can gather that the commander himself may be heading in that direction."

"God's sake..."

"Wait, it get's better," Jackson said with a sigh. "Pilaf is dead. For whatever reason, probably mercy, the super killed him. We haven't found his body so we assume he took it away."

Leonard put his head in his hand. "If that gets out, if word gets out about what happened there then we are done. You have to get the body back."

"No." Shimazu raised his hand. "As Jackson says the supers have nothing to gain from advertising this. They will do nothing with the body other than bury it. The facility was remote so no word will be heard about it. I suspect the good emperor had already told us all that he knew so there is no loss to us there." He turned his eyes to Jackson. "Anything further to report?"

"No sire. It is a developing situation, so I will keep you informed on what happens."

"Thank you. Now, Baldwin?" He turned his eyes to the man.

Baldwin coughed. "Seems like I'm the only one here having some success," he muttered. Then, louder, "I have no further updates on the situation with Bulma Briefs. She has not contacted me yet, but I suspect that as the deadline draws near she will either make contact or I will collect the radar at the deadline. After that it's a simple matter of tracking down the Dragon Balls. Which, admittedly, becomes more of an issue now that we know the Shadow Dragons aren't just a bunch of well organised, angry kids."

"Good. Thank you." Shimazu looked around the table. "Does anyone have any updates regarding the missing coma patients?"

The agents looked at one another in surprise. "Uh, no," Baldwin said. "We were given to understand that that was entirely a police matter that we were not to be involved with."

"No, it would be a waste of resources. I was just hoping that something might have turned up. A good news story of any sort." Shimazu glanced at the clock on the wall. "If there are no more points to raise than this meeting is adjourned."

"If you do have further information to raise, or you learn more," Leonard said. "Remember that the King is going to be meeting his economic advisers from an hour from now until one PM. After that, from two until likely four he'll be meeting with the President of the IPF."

"What for?" Jackson asked, surprised.

"To hopefully get more financial assistance with the reparations. Whilst dangling the bone of the capsule tech that he's interested in." Jackson nodded. "No more questions?" He looked around the room. "Be on your ways then."

Everyone stood up and bowed to the King. Then everyone, bar Leonard, the secretary and the two guards, left the room.

* * *

><p>Yamcha was slowly dragged out of the unconscious state of sleep by the delightful smell of frying bacon. He lifted his head up from the sofa, where he lay across it, to see Krillin at the stoves, cooking the rashers in the frying pan.<p>

"Please tell me some of those are for me?" the ex-bandit called out with a grin.

Krillin, wearing a red dressing gown, looked over his shoulder at his friend. "Nah, there's only enough for me and Roshi," he replied, with a smirk. "Free-loaders have to cook their own."

Yamcha crossed his arms and put on an exaggerated expression of hurt. "A free-loader? I was under the impression I was here as your guest?"

The two laughed.

"Of course there's enough for you," Krillin said. "I appreciate you being around here. You have to eat at the table though, no way am I letting a messy eater like you potentially get stuff on the sofa."

"Sure, no problems." Yamcha smiled and ran a hand through his short, greying hair. It was sticking up all over the place, which was fairly typical, only this time it was made worse because of the bed hair. He yawned and swung his legs to the side, out of the blanket. He reached down and picked up his cybernetic leg prosthetic and attached it to the right stump. He wrapped the straps around it and touched the on switch. He winced a little as the straps tightened, but he was soon used to it and able to stand up properly. The prosthetic was no so attuned to his muscle movements that he often forgot that he was wearing it.

Dressed in a long T-shirt and boxers he made his way over to the small, dining table next to the kitchen units. He slumped down in the chair and waited for Krillin to serve him. He had been staying there for a week now and had come along at Krillin's invitation. Marron had left for job position on the mainland, in South City, so Yamcha suspected that Krillin was wanting company and undoubtedly some help in managing Roshi. The ex-bandit, a near permanent bachelor, had jumped at the chance to hang out with his old friend. The downsides were sleeping on the sofa, comfy though it was, and doing some household chores. The upsides were being with his friend, his former master, having fun and, perhaps most importantly, being away from people.

Krillin himself had improved markedly from where he was just over a year ago. Back when Eighteen had been without energy, he had been in a state of near immovable depression, spending all his time sat by her side. After her death he had taken a turn for the worse but ever since Eighteen had visited him from the Otherworld he had been transformed. The old happy, go-lucky Krillin had returned almost overnight in a change his daughter described as 'slightly scary' and he had thrown himself into the task of helping his daughter with job applications, ferrying her to and from job interviews and doing the housework so she could concentrate on her studying and applications. Krillin had told Yamcha that part of the reason was that he felt guilty for having neglected Marron when Eighteen was ill, though neither she nor anyone else saw it that way.

The bald ex-monk, his face wrinkled and with a small white beard forming, turned around and deposited two slices of bacon on the plate in front of Yamcha. "You know I had a slight panic this morning," Krillin said as he turned back to the stove.

"Oh really?" Yamcha replied, waiting for his friend before he started eating. "Why was that?"

"I looked in the fridge and only found one packet of bacon. I forgot it was you staying and not Goku and was almost having to dash out to the mainland in order to get more food in."

Yamcha laughed.

Krillin returned to the table with two plates, containing bacon and fried eggs. He slid one onto Yamcha's plate, receiving a nod of thanks, and then he turned towards the stairs. "Roshi!" he called. "Breakfast is ready!"

"Alright Krillin," the master's voice called down the stairs. "I'll be along in a minute. You boys start without me."

"Was planning on doing that," Krillin said as he sat down.

He and Yamcha proceeded to tuck into the food.

"So what's the plan for today?" Yamcha asked.

"Not much I don't think," Krillin replied. "A day of relaxing, some workouts, maybe a visit to the store to stock up on supplies and then watching TV. Oh and I'll call Marron to see how she's getting on."

"Again? You called her yesterday."

"I'm a protective father."

Yamcha chuckled. "Alright. Far be it from me to give advice on parenting."

"Ha, ha," Krillin laughed. "Actually my real worry is that I'm not looking after her enough. After all her mother could be watching everything that I'm doing now with ease and... He he if I'm not doing a good job..."

"You could be in for a very interesting reunion," Yamcha finished.

They both chuckled at that, imaging the wrath of the heavenly Eighteen should her daughter not have been looked after properly. A moment later Master Roshi descended the stairs, dressed in a button shirt and beige shorts. Whilst he ate and chatted with Yamcha Krillin looked out the window. The sky was clear, some birds gliding along it. He thought it was shaping up to be a pretty good day.

* * *

><p>Bulma, leaving early, stepped from the apartment to Capsule Corp. As she walked through the halls she waved to the people she passed, before quickly returning to her own thoughts. Maybe she should call Uub? She didn't want to, obviously, but she might need to. If he had most by now, he might be able to get them all before the deadline and she could get the radar off him then…<p>

She stepped into her office and closed the door. It was all very difficult though. And she had Kuriza staying tonight. That would require setting things up for them. But it may be an opportunity. Kuriza was going to be meeting with the King, after all, and if he could tell her something -

_Dziit!_

"Hey!"

Bulma shrieked and leapt out of her skin, whirling to where a bemused looking Son Goku stood in the middle of the room. "Goku!" she panted. "God! Don't do that! You scared the crap out of me." She touched her hand to her pounding heart.

"Ah… sorry Bulma, I didn't mean to," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"What do you expect to happen when you just appear out of nowhere like that!?"

"Yeah, ha, ha. That's a good point. I guess I've got too used to using instant transmission to get around."

Bulma sighed and sat down at her desk. "Anyway… What are you wanting Goku?"

"Well… It's tricky..." Goku sighed and lowered his head. "There isn't really an easy way to say this, so… I found Pilaf."

Bulma froze.

Goku walked over and sat in the chair in front of the desk. "I'll spare you the details. It wasn't nice."

"How..." Her mouth was dry and she swallowed. "How is he…?"

"Dead," Goku replied. He looked to the side, out the window. "I buried him at the lookout."

She closed her eyes and slumped in the chair.

"I guess I knew what had happened," she said after a while. "It was heavily implied to me."

"So it wasn't just a random question?"

She shook her head. "No. It was on my mind. I didn't think you'd go looking for him though. I promise you I was not intending to have you go look."

"That's all right, I know that." Goku leaned forward and looked into the eyes of his oldest friend. "But, Bulma, you need to tell me what's going on? Who was it who came to tell you about Pilaf? And why are you so worried? You may think you've kept it hidden, but you haven't. We've all noticed it."

Bulma was silent for a long moment. She bit on her fingernails as she thought. "It's… complicated..." she said at last.

"I was worried you'd say that," Goku said with a small chuckle.

Her friends laugh gave her some courage and, without any hesitation, Bulma launched into her explanation, covering the story with the meeting with Baldwin, what had been threatened, her knowledge that the Shadow Dragons had a Dragon Ball and her thoughts on what to do about the situation. When she had finished they both sat back in their chairs and thought.

"That… doesn't sound good..." Goku mused. "Would they really do that to Vegeta? I mean would they want to risk it?"

Bulma shrugged. "As he explained the real damage would be what would happen to Capsule Corp. and your guys reputations, regardless of what would happen with Vegeta. I mean the Shadow Dragons have done enough damage already, anymore and..."

"But we can't let them have the Dragon Balls. Dende and Piccolo talked to me about the King and… well it doesn't sound like it'd be a good idea."

"I think he just wants to do good. But it's the slippery slope. Once they use them once to fix a problem, they'll start using them to fix another problem, and then another… It's just that kind of irresponsibility and lack of dealing with consequences that we didn't want to have. Why we swore off not using them anymore."

"So what is your plan?"

Bulma sat back. Goku looked at her and he could see the heavy bags under her eyes. He doubted she'd had much sleep these last few days. "My plan," she began. "Is to give Baldwin the radar."

Goku raised his eyebrows. "But I thought -"

Bulma raised a hand. "I will give him the radar but he won't be able to get the Dragon Balls. Uub is at the moment gathering the Dragon Balls and I've decided that I'm going to call him and ask him to summon Shenron for us when he's got them; do it at night so that it won't make any difference to the skyline. That way the Balls will disperse and turn to stone. The radar won't work. Hopefully they'll think the radar is broken and of no use. Either way though we'd have a year to try and work something out."

"And you think they'll be good to their word?"

Bulma paused. "I don't know," she said. "They asked for the radar and I'll give them that. But I can't control what happens after. But I have to try this. There isn't another way."

"I see… What about Uub though?"

"Hmm?"

"You said the Shadow Dragons had one of the Dragon Balls, or at least you think they might do. Isn't that dangerous for Uub?"

"Yes, but that's what I am going to tell him when I call him. If he lets us know when he has the penultimate Ball, we can accompany him, or at least you, Gohan, someone can. If the Shadow Dragons have the Ball then the radar will guide us to their headquarters. We can then get rid of them and kill two birds with one stone." She smiled. "And that'll help your PR as well."

Goku smiled. "You have given this quite a bit of thought."

"Goku, I give everything quite a bit of thought. You really should know this by now."

They both laughed.

"Okay then," Goku stood up. He touched his fingers to his forehead. "I guess I should go and tell Piccolo what the plan is."

"Okay. Oh, but Goku..."

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell Vegeta about this. I know he's worried but… I don't want him to do anything rash."

Goku smiled. "No problem." He held his hand up in a wave. And then, with a _dzitt_, he was gone.

Bulma rested back in her chair. It was sorted then. For the first time she began to feel something bordering on optimism. She had a feeling that this was going to work. She reached over and picked up the phone from her desk. She brought up Uub's number and dialled. She only hoped that he would pick up.

* * *

><p><em>Brrr, brrr! Brrr, brrr! Brrr, brrr!<em>

The sound of the phone vibrating slowly brought Uub out of his slumber. He sat under the sun, bleary eyed and dazed wondering what planet he was on.

_Brrr, brrr! Brrr, brrr! Brrr, brrr!_

He let out a string of curses as he rummaged around in his pocket, throwing off his sleeping bag as he did so. Eventually he managed to grab the phone and he tapped the screen and brought it to his ear. "Hello?" he asked.

"Hello?" the voice at the other end said. "Uub?"

"Yes," he said and rubbed his eyes. "Who is this?"

"It's Bulma."

"Oh! Sorry, Bulma, hi!"

"Sorry, did I just wake you up?"

"Ah, yes you did but it's no problem. I would have been getting up soon anyway."

"That's good to know. Honestly it makes a change to know a young person who wants to get up early."

Uub laughed. "Is that a reference to Bra?"

"It might be," she giggled. "Anyway there's something important I need to talk to you about."

"Sure. What is it?"

"I have a question concerning the Dragon Balls."

Uub tensed. "What about them?" he asked.

"It's kind of a long story. The short version of it is that the government is looking to get the radar, with the intent of acquiring the Dragon Balls. I don't want that to happen, but in order to stop bad things happening I'll have to give them the radar. This is where you come in."

"Okay..."

"We know that it's very likely that the Shadow Dragons have one Dragon Ball in their possession... Do you know who they are?"

"It's not ringing any bells."

"They're a terrorist organization that seem Hell bent on getting at us. They even attacked Trunks and Estella not too long ago."

"Wow..."

"Yeah. Suffice to say they're not good people. Anyway the plan is that if you can tell us when you have one Ball left to find then that'll be the one that they have. That way we can get at them and put an end to their operation."

"I see."

"How many Balls do you have?"

"Uh... Five."

"Okay. Let me know when you've got six and we'll send out help to you. Or you know if the next one you go for looks like it's in a suspicious place."

"Yes, I will do. Thanks for letting me know."

"It's okay. Thanks for agreeing to do this Uub."

"Of course! No sweat!"

"Best of luck! Bye."

"Bye Bulma. Take care."

He touched the red button in the screen and put the phone down. He reached behind his head and pulled his backpack forward. He opened up the top and peered inside. Six golden balls blinkered beneath the light of the sun.

One more... Won't be used again... He glanced down at his arm, the bandages wrapped around it, some dark stains on them. Shadow Dragons huh? Well if I can't get the last Ball off of them... Then I won't be worthy of the wish...

He closed the bag and stood up. He swing the bag onto his back and put his phone in his pocket. He took out the Dragon radar and touched the button at the top. He checked the location and then put the radar away. He readied himself and then began walking West. After a couple of moments walking he broke into a run.

* * *

><p>President Kuriza, wearing a long red and purple gown , his regal robes, tied with a gold sash around the stomach, stood in the King's office and admired the painting on the wall. The painting was large, in oils and set in a frame of gold. There were three levels to the painting, which was rectangular and taller than it was wide. At the bottom of the painting were twelve figures, arrayed as a triangle with the central figure being the largest and the others reversing as they flanked him. The central figure looked humanoid, but was very hairy, bar the face, and wore a yellow tunic with a red sash tied diagonally across it. Above the figure was the second level of the painting that simply depicted seven shining gold orbs. Above that, the third level, was a dark figure, one hand stretched up, with large horns curving off of his head.<p>

"Ah, I see you are intrigued by the _Legend of the Dragon Balls_."

The voice came from behind Kuriza and he turned around to see King Shimazu striding forward to meet him. Kuriza smiled and bowed his upper body slightly. Shimazu stuck out his hand and they shook.

"Greetings to you," Kuriza said.

"And to you," Shimazu replied. He nodded towards the painting. "So do you like it?"

"Yes it is very nice," Kuriza confirmed, turning his eyes back to the painting. "I am curious to know the story it depicts."

"It's an old legend, a very old legend," Shimazu said, gazing up at the painting. "It was around when I was a boy. If you'll forgive me putting on my storyteller voice." He smiled and Kuriza smiled back and nodded. "Hmmm… Long ago there existed a dragon - Shenlong. The great dragon would fly across the world, shining like gold, under the sun. A benevolent dragon; he had the power to grant any wish of those he deemed of a worthy cause and in great need. Those who could find him, could ask for a wish and should they meet the criteria the wish would be granted. Then, one day, a warlock arose. That's him at the top of the painting. Greatly jealous of Shenlong's power he wished to take for his own. So he found seven perfectly round and smooth stones and set them on the ground and waited for the dragon to pass overhead. One night Shenlong flew over and the warlock spun his spell. He captured twenty-eight stars from the heavens and used their power to bring the dragon down and seal him within the seven orbs. The seven orbs now glowed gold with the dragon's power, but rage as he might he could not break the seal placed by the stars. The warlock now had the means to summon and cast any wish he desired at will. The only price was a recharging period in the stones - use them too much and the seal would weaken.

"The Kami, guardian of the world, became aware of this capture. Before the warlock could act he sent out the twelve Kami-Sensi, his champions, led by Sun-Wukong, that's the central figure you see there," Shimazu pointed at the hairy man in the yellow tunic. "The twelve fought a great battle with the warlock and, after a struggle that lasted several days, they triumphed but with a great loss. Sun-Wukong was the only survivor. He brought the stones to the Kami and he looked in them. Shenlong was angry, his rage was great. He could not be released, or else he would turn his wrath on the world. So the Kami placed a spell on the stones. They would separate around the world; to be found by anyone who was courageous in spirit and pure of heart. That person would be able to make a wish on the dragon. And with each wish that kind of person would make, as no person pure of heart would make a selfish wish, the dragon would be appeased and be reminded of the goodness in the world. Eventually, one day, he would return to being the calm and benevolent dragon that he was before. And on that day the Kami would release him from the stones, free to travel the world again." Shimazu looked across at Kuriza. "So what do you think? Do you like the story?"

"Hmm..." Kuriza looked over at Shimazu. "Oh, sorry, was just thinking. Yes it is an intriguing story. Similar to one I heard on my home planet. Strange the commonalities between myths and legends."

"I wouldn't be too surprised," Shimazu laughed and made his way to his chair behind a embroidered wooden desk. "Myths, legends, when you break them down they're always the same. An evil person is defeated by a good person and there is a moral lesson in there somewhere."

"And what would be the moral lesson in this case?" Kuriza asked with a smile, as he followed Shimazu over and sat down on the chair in front of him.

"Be careful of displaying your power," the King said, with a serious look. "Otherwise others will get jealous and try and supplant you." He stared at Kuriza for a moment and then laughed again. "No, no that's not the message. I've no idea to be honest, something about using power wisely."

Kuriza smiled. "Possibly. And do they exist? The shining stones?"

Shimazu paused. "No, likely as not."

"Shame. A wish granting dragon would be a great use."

"Ha, ha… yes it would indeed..." Shimazu straightened himself and lent forward on the table. "Shall we move onto the business at hand?"

"Certainly." Kuriza bowed his head slightly.

"Now, I believe that your interest is in having Earth joining up with the IPF, yes?"

"That is so, though I'm not unrealistic about it." Kuriza leaned back and placed his arms on the chair's arm rests. "Earth is, interplanetarly speaking, far behind most of the rest of the IPF. That isn't a great issue, we have a few members who are barely equipped for any form of space travel what-so-ever, but they have limited influence on affairs. I suspect that you, as I, would not want that to occur with Earth."

"No. So your proposal is?"

"A gradual phasing in. We can help with the development of stellar technology, expertise and some funding, to assist with trade. You, obviously, have the Capsules which could prove to be a great asset on the galactic markets, but could prove damaging to your own base if the patents are not properly protected. For that reason, I'd suggest that we start by performing a gradual opening, where people come here to trade in a limited fashion, whilst Earth readies itself."

Shimazu leant back. "That is an attractive proposal. Of course we would benefit from this as would you with the Capsules and another region of the galaxy being under your arm." He smiled. "I don't doubt that you would like to have a jumping off presence to explore into deeper space in this region."

Kuriza smiled back. "Some adventurers and pioneers certainly."

"Unfortunately I can't accommodate that for now."

The Arcosian King raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And why is that?"

"I am hampered by internal politics." Shimazu spread his arms. "The planet and West City in particular has still not recovered from the assault that took place here. An assault your people were involved in, albeit under influence." He shrugged. "However it is hard to explain that to the people. And until things settle around that question, outer trade is simply not feasible."

"I see..." And Kuriza could see. He could see exactly where this was going. "What would help?"

"No movements can be made until West City is rebuilt and people are allowed back to their homes."

"I understand that. If you remeber we paid reparations costs and also left workers here, but we had to remove them because their lives were threatened by mobs."

"That is public sentiment. You could hardly expect them to be nice after what happened could you?"

"Perhaps not. But I am given to understand that some _adverse _sentiment was whipped up by people affiliated with yourself and the ruling party of West City, in an attempt to bolster support against outsiders." Kuriza smiled. "Not that I'm suggesting you had anything to do with it?"

Shimazu gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Quite."

"So what are you proposing?"

"Further funding. Assisted spending to help along the reparations, develop the city. After that is done, calm will come and a process of acclimatization can be started. Within five, ten years, we could start opening the first basic markets for inter-stellar traders."

"Can't be done," Kuriza said with a shake of his head. "The compensation paid was more than adequate for the task, had it been spent wisely. We even took into account the possibility of price changes and unexpected eventualities." He shrugged. "The rest of the IPF will never stand for a further spending spree, particularly not on a planet that is not even a member and, at present, holds not great future attraction as a market or a innovator."

Shimazu sat back and crossed his arms. "It seems we are at an impasse then."

"Yes."

They stared at one another in silence for a long moment.

Kuriza stood up. "I'm here for only a few days more," he said. "Should you wish to meet again, you can contact me at Capsule Corp."

"You're staying there?" Shimazu said, standing, his eyes widening.

"Yes. I am friends with the president and vice-president." Kuriza's eyes narrowed. "Why? Does that bother you?"

"No. Not at all." Shimazu laughed. "I happen to know the Briefs family quite well."

Kuriza smiled. That's an interesting reaction… "In any case, King Shimazu, I hope to hear from you again." He bowed and spread his arms. "Hopefully our business will conclude on a more favourable note next time."

"That is my hope as well," Shimazu said, inclining his head.

Kuriza stepped back and then turned and exited through the door. Shimazu stayed standing for a moment and then slumped into his chair. He brought his finger to his chin and pinched it, a worried expression on his face.

* * *

><p>Trunks knocked on the window.<p>

His sister rolled her eyes and opened it. Trunks, with Estella in his arms, floated inside from the night and landed in the living room. "There's a front door, Trunks," Bra said. "Would it really kill you to use it once in a while?"

"Yes it would," Trunks replied, sweetly. "Especially when it deprives me of the chance of seeing you be butler."

Bra stuck out her tongue at him.

"Oi, siblings," Estella cut in, with an exasperated sigh. "The war is over. You're both adults now." She glanced at Trunks. "At least nominally."

Bra laughed and Trunks shot a look at his wife. "Hey! You're not meant to take her side."

"It's impolite to give offence to those you have no hold over," she replied with a wink.

She and Bra laughed at Trunks' expense before Bra stepped away towards the stairs. "Mom, Dad, Trunks is here!" she shouted.

"Oh, hey, Bra," Trunks called, jogging up to his sister. "On a serious note, have you heard from Goten at all today?"

"No." She furrowed her brow. "Why?"

"Ah, probably nothing. Just tried calling him this morning, but he didn't pick up and I've not heard anything back. He's normally fairly prompt."

She shrugged. "Maybe he's just busy. I'm about to call Pan, do you want me to ask her if she's heard anything?"

"I thought Pan was staying here for the moment?"

"Uh… she was… but then… well we had a bit of a fight..."

"What about?"

"Nothing. Girl stuff."

"Ah," said Trunks as if that explained everything. "And you're back on speaking terms now?"

"Yes."

"Ah," Trunks said again, deciding that he didn't understand girls at all. "Well if you could ask her that would be great."

"Sure." Bra smiled and went up the stairs.

Turning back to the room Trunks saw Estella sat on the sofa, looking at the now turned on television. He was half-way back when the doorbell rang. Estella glanced up at him. "Are you going to get that?" she asked, fluttering her lashes.

Trunks sighed and stepped towards the front door, grumbling. "Don't even live here anymore… Why can't Mom build something that opens it automatically..." He opened the door and his eyes widened in surprise when he found himself looking at Kuriza, who was similarly surprised. "I have the strangest feeling of deja vu," Trunks said.

"The scene is familiar," Kuriza replied. "Only this time I am here by invitation, not because I had just beaten you and your friend."

"Don't remind me. Dad still goes on about it."

"Does he now?" Kuriza smirked.

"Yes. I wouldn't smile too much though. He goes on about his own triumph much more."

"That doesn't surprise me..."

Trunks laughed and stood aside, Kuriza, still wearing his robes from earlier, stepping past him into the room. Estella stood up and smiled at him. "Nice to meet you again," she said.

"And you," Kuriza replied with nod. "Where is the master and mistress of the house?"

"Upstairs by all accounts."

"Ah, okay. I have a matter I need to talk with them about."

"Sure, no problem."

He nodded to both of them and then walked up the stairs, tail trailing behind him. Trunks slumped down onto the sofa next to Estella and glanced at his watch.

"Everyone seems to be a little late today," he said.

"Oh stop moaning," Estella replied. "Dinner will be served soon and your ravenous ape appetite will be sated."

"Excuse me, but you are also an ape."

"I'm a primate, a superior specimen."

"Whatever."

She laughed and rested her head on Trunks' shoulder. They sat like that for a moment, undisturbed. Then the kitchen door opened and they looked up to find Chi-Chi, wearing a dress and apron looking over at them, carrying a casserole pot.

"Oh, hello Trunks, Estella," she said with a smile. "How are you two doing?"

"Hi Chi-Chi," Trunks replied, standing up. "We're both doing fine. Here, let me help you with that." He reached over and put his hands on the pot.

"Oh, no it's fine."

"Please, I insist." He gently took the pot out of her hands.

"Okay, thank you. Put it in the centre of the dining room table."

"Got it!" Trunks called as he walked through. He placed the pot on the centre of the table and lifted the lid. Inside was a thick soup and the wafting flavours of the dish made him salivate. He put the lid back on and walked into the kitchen. Chi-Chi was busy working, keeping an eye on a variety of boiling, steaming and frying pans, pots and bamboo steamers. "Mom's got you slaving away in here huh?"

"Oh no I asked to. I hate feeling useless."

"Still, cooking for so many must be more than you bargained for."

"Not really," she laughed. "I've spent most of my life cooking for Saiyans - the adjustment really isn't that much."

"If you say so." He smiled. Then he frowned and cocked his head at her. "Chi-Chi, there's a bruise on your forehead…" At the top of her temple there was a small line, a cut, that was starting to turn a purple colour, despite the application of make-up.

"Huh? Oh, that." Chi-Chi waved her hand. "It's nothing really."

"No, what happened. Did you trip and hit your head?"

"No, no, just whilst I was in town some people walked by. They must have recognised me as they shouted some things and then one of them threw a rock that caught me there. But I'm a tough girl, you ask Son Goku, I just made my way back here. I'm fine."

"Those little shits!"

"Language, please!"

"Sorry. I really think that we should tell someone."

"No, I don't want to worry anyone. I'm fine Trunks, really. Thanks for asking." She smiled at him a little and handed him a tray full of plates of food to take away. Trunks did so, but reluctantly.

* * *

><p>"Ah, this is where you're hiding."<p>

Vegeta looked up from the armchair in the bedroom and scowled. "What do you want Kuriza?" he asked.

Kuriza smiled. "I see your gift with pleasantries has not gone away. May I come in?"

"I suppose."

"Thank you." Kuriza stepped into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed, facing Vegeta. The armchair was in the corner of the room, opposite the door and next to the large windows. The bed, a modest double, was stationed adjacent to the door in the large room, and opposite it were wardrobes of clothes, shelves of books, a TV and a door to a large ensuite bathroom. "Is Bulma around?"

"She's gone to marshall things downstairs," Vegeta replied. "Why?"

"No reason. Just I have a sensitive subject I wanted to bring up with you in private."

"You're not asking for a rematch are you?" Vegeta asked, with the merest glint of excitement in his eye.

Kuriza coughed. "Uh, no. Not that. Something possibly better."

"What then?"

"Well, this is tricky, so I'll cover the first part as quick as I can. When my father killed all the Saiyans that wasn't exactly true. Of course it would be impossible to get all of them, some of them would have been away on missions and not all the Saiyans were wholly violent. There were a lot, more than you would have known about, of deserters who fled on matters of principle."

Vegeta nodded.

"In any case," Kuriza continued, "my father didn't want to leave any stone unturned. So he hired people, assassins basically, whose job was to hunt them down and eliminate them, the survivors. It was hard work, but they were making progress. Until my father got killed. After that things fell into turmoil and the assassins weren't paid so they stopped."

"Get to the point," Vegeta said, tiring of this long story.

"The point is; we found them."

"What?" Vegeta furrowed his brows, confused.

"The surviving Saiyans. We found them." Kuriza smiled. "Your not so alone after all."

Vegeta's jaw dropped. "How?" he asked after a moment. "How did you…?"

"Miuu informed me of those background deals, so I sent some people out to follow the trail and see what we could find. Back then I was still paranoid that there was a Super Saiyan roaming the universe and killing of members of my family, so I thought some insider information might be helpful. Anyway, three months ago they reported back. And they've found a small colony of Saiyans, on a fairly distant and mostly deserted planet. About one-hundred and fifty, to two-hundred all told."

"And… have you made contact with them?"

"Yes. Initially. We managed to learn a fair bit about them. After they stopped shooting at us. It seems a small, breakaway group initially found the place to settle down and since then they've had scouts trying to find others and bring them there, if they want. Some have, of course, settled down into other lives. So these aren't the only Saiyans."

"And you plan on bringing them into the IPF?"

"In time. But there's still some suspicion on both sides. The Saiyans don't have fond memories of the Arcosian hierarchy and most of the IPF members don't have fond memories of the Saiyans. At present they're perhaps too small to join in any case, but given time."

Vegeta nodded. "Why bring this up to me?"

"There is some speculation, amongst them, that what they require is a leader. Someone to take them through this new time as they re-establish themselves." Kuriza looked at Vegeta. "And so the Prince becomes the King."

Vegeta sat back and crossed his arms. He bowed his head, closed his eyes and thought.

"You don't need to answer now," Kuriza said after a long moment.

Vegeta looked up and opened his eyes. "I can give you my answer: no," he said.

Kuriza blinked. "Are you sure? I was given to understand that restoring the Saiyan race was your dream."

"It was once. It's not now. These Saiyans need to learn to guide themselves, build their society the way they want. They don't need figures from the old regime telling them what to do." Vegeta grabbed his cane and leaned on it, standing up. Kuriza did so too. "Now, we'd best go downstairs to dinner. Before the blue banshee comes calling."

Kuriza smiled and followed the Saiyan Prince out of the room.

* * *

><p>"Yes I'm sure that I'm fine. Well fine considering." Pan leaned back on the sofa.<p>

"Yeah I know," Bra said on the phone. "I'm really sorry."

"You don't have to keep apologising!" Pan laughed. "I know what you were trying to do and I know you were doing it for me."

"Yeah..." There was a shout at the other end that Pan couldn't make out. "Ah, sorry, Mom's calling me for dinner. I'll talk to you again later okay?"

"Sure. Bye!"

"Bye!"

They hung up. Pan dropped the phone and sighed. She'd wanted to reassure Bra, but she didn't feel that reassured herself. She was still… Never mind...

"Well," Videl said as she emerged from the kitchen with the pot in her hands. "I was going to say how wonderful it was that, for the first time in a while, we can all sit down for a meal together." She deposited the pot in the centre of the table and took the top off. The scent of marinated, spicy chicken emerged. "Then Gohan informs me that he has a late night lecture to give tonight. So that was that plan out of the window."

Pan giggled. "I'm surprised that you let him go."

Videl sighed. "No, I can't keep him from his work that he needs to do. Besides, there's only so many times you be the terrifying wife, before they twig that they're more powerful than you. A problem you won't have to suffer with." They both shared a smile, though Pan blushed a little.

"We'll be able to have a family meal again," Pan said. "Tomorrow we can do that."

"I'd like that. Then maybe we can do a family outing to the zoo."

"Don't push it Mom, I'm not five."

Videl laughed. Everything seemed to be going back to normal.

* * *

><p>Krillin, Yamcha and Roshi slumped down onto the sofa in front of the large TV. Roshi had recently taken to wearing solely his dressing gown all the time. Other than that he was no different, still old but seemingly ageless and youthful person. Yamcha and Krillin were both now certain that their old master would outlive them.<p>

On the TV they switched over to the baseball game. The Wolves, Yamcha's former team , were playing against the Raptors. Though it had been a good long while since he retired he still kept an eye on them and followed their games. In any case both he and Krillin liked the sport.

"Do you think your team is going to win?" Roshi asked.

"Without me?" Yamcha replied with a smile. "Not a chance."

"Listen to Mr Modest here," Krillin said.

"What can I say?" Yamcha leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "I turned them into a title winning team from nowhere. You are, after all, looking at the best baseball player in history." He grinned. "A 0.8 batting average and highest number of home runs ever hit."

"True. Though that batting average took a bit of a hit when we played a game, that summer, at Capsule Corp."

Yamcha grimaced. "Hey, it's not my fault Vegeta kept throwing the ball _at _me. I got him back though."

Roshi and Krillin laughed. They both decided not to mention that, after thrashing the ball into his highnesses nose, Yamcha had had to spend the rest of the day hiding in Bulma's lab.

"Here come the teams!" the commentator said, as the two teams entered the diamond field on the TV to the roar of the crowd. Krillin settled down into the sofa with a smile on his face. He took a sip of his beer. This was the life.

Suddenly the TV cut to the test card. A small _boooooo_ noise sounded. The three sat up and looked at one another in confusion. "What's going on?" Krillin asked.

Master Roshi sat back in his chair and narrowed his eyes at the TV.

* * *

><p>"So I hear you met with the King today?" Bulma asked Kuriza.<p>

"That is so," the Arcosian King replied from across the table. With the exception of Bra they were all sat down there. Bulma and Vegeta at opposite ends of the long table, with Goku and Chi-Chi sat either side of him, Kuriza next to Goku, a place free for Bra and Trunks and Estella either side of Bulma.

"What was he like?" Goku asked, surprising everyone. He never normally took much interest in this stuff.

"An interesting person. We didn't get very far in our meeting, but I suspect that we'll be meeting again before I head back. This food is lovely by the way."

"Oh, thank you," Chi-Chi replied, smiling.

"Where is Bra?" Bulma muttered. "Bra!" she shouted. "The food is going to waste!"

"I'm just coming!" the girl's voice shouted back. "Jeez!"

"I'm sorry about her," Bulma remarked.

"No worries," Kuriza replied with a smile.

There was a small silence as everyone ate.

"So where were you, Kakarott?" Vegeta asked.

Goku looked up.

"Last night," Vegeta explained. "You were out late."

"Oh… well..."

"Mom! Dad!" Bra shouted. "Get in here!"

"What is it!?" Bulma shouted back.

"On the TV! Just get in here, now!"

Collectively Bulma and Vegeta sighed and stood up. "Sorry, if you'll excuse us," Bulma said to the table, as the two of them grumbled their way to the living room.

* * *

><p>"...So, in this understanding, you see that from the perspective of the particles, dropping from the atmosphere, the distance between them and the ground has to be shorter than it is from our perspective, but from our perspective the particles have to be moving faster than it is possible for them to do so, in order for them to reach the ground." Gohan looked up from the computer, where his powerpoint presentation slides gave the basic points of what he had outlined. As usual he was met with the familiar, rather confused and blank looks, mixed with some intrigue and outrage as the students attempted to come to grips with general relativity. He smiled. "Does anyone want me to go over that again?"<p>

Unanimously the class seemed to nod.

Gohan stepped over to the board and picked up a marker. "Right, so the idea is that we can only measure speed and distance from relative positions, based on where you are. If you imagine that you're on a train, for example, and there were no bumps, or rattling on the train, to indicate that you were moving, it would look like the world was moving past you, rather than you moving through it. Correct?" He turned to look back. Most people seemed to nod, getting it, a few others were still looking confused. One was staring at her phone intently.

"Mariah?" Gohan called. The girl didn't respond. "Mariah?"

She looked up. The class looked at her and some giggled.

"This isn't that boring is it?" Gohan asked. The class giggled some more.

"No… it's…" she swallowed. "I got an alert…"

"Sorry?"

"The Shadow Dragons… They're broadcasting live."

The class fell into a stunned silence.

"What?" Gohan said.

"They're doing a live broadcast. It's on all channels."

Gohan stepped over to his computer. What on earth was going on? He felt trepidation about this, but, as well, at the back of his mind, there was a small feeling of excitement. If they were doing this live there was a chance, a small chance, that he could catch them. He would just need to focus. He clicked away from the presentation and switched it to a news site, that had the live feed. The picture took a moment to load, but then it came up fully on the overhead screen. The class all seemed to lean back involuntarily as the smiling, white mask of Omega stared out at them. He was standing still, to the right of the frame, his hands crossed in front of his body. To the left and slightly behind him was someone in a hood, sat in a chair. Two machines, and drip feed, were set up next to the chair.

Omega was silent for a long moment. Then he spoke. "Good evening. I hope I haven't disturbed you at all." Gohan grit his teeth. "But we have an important announcement to make."

* * *

><p>"You may have all heard about a gas explosion on the subway system of West City." Krillin, Yamcha and Roshi scrutinised the screen, with various expressions of dislike on their faces. "That was a lie," Omega continued.<p>

* * *

><p>"Why you were told a lie is for you to decide. But we were the ones responsible for the destruction there." Everyone was now stood in the living room. Bra, Bulma and Estella were sat on the sofa, whilst the others stood behind them, staring at the screen. Goku's eyes were narrowed and his fists clenched, whilst Vegeta quietly explained what was going on to Kuriza.<p>

"So here we are. Our ninth victim." Omega stepped back and reached out. He grabbed the hood on the man's head. Everyone's breath seemed to stop. He pulled -

* * *

><p>Gohan's eyes widened and his mouth clenched, rage bubbling up.<p>

The bag came away and Goten was revealed. His brother seemed oddly lifeless. He was sat in the chair, but his eyes were downcast, his head drooping. It didn't seem like he was fully aware of what was going on around him at all. An oxygen mask was placed over his mouth and nose and the drip feed led into his arm.

"I'm afraid that for this one we had to strike him rather hard," Omega said. "He's presently suffering from a cerebral injury that keeps him in this vegetative state. He is incapable of breathing on his own. This machine," Omega indicated the machine on the right. "Pumps a steady supply of oxygen into him and allows its release. Without it, his brain will be deprived of it. Within five minutes he would permanently be reduced to this state, with no hope of recovery. Within seven he would be dead."

Omega stepped back. He turned his head to the camera. The dragon smiled out as he reached with his finger to the machine -

* * *

><p>Blood ran down Goku's knuckles as his nails dug into his hand, thunderous. Everyone in the room stared with stunned, angry expressions, Chi-Chi with her hand over her mouth, tears running down from her eyes.<p>

They saw the finger move -

"No!" Chi-Chi screamed. "Don't -!"

There was a soft _click_ as a switch was flicked.

"You're time starts now," Omega said. Suddenly a counter appeared on the screen and began to count down from five minutes.

Chi-Chi howled and Bulma, stood up and grabbed her, holding her tight, also crying. Trunks swore and closed his eyes, concentrating hard. Goku did the same as Vegeta moved forward to the TV. Kuriza took a communicator out of his pocket and began to speak into it.

* * *

><p>The whoom of the sonic boom knocked the class back in their seats. In an instant their teacher was gone, blasting through the walls of the building and up into the night sky. Gohan halted himself. He tried to bring his boiling emotions under control. How the hell had they managed to capture Goten? How - no! He couldn't think about that right now. He had to focus. Had to focus on sensing out his energy. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, before stretching out with his senses, looking for his brothers ki signature.<p>

Come on Goten, raise your power somehow! he pleaded. Please!

* * *

><p>The phone rang. Estella grabbed it. "Hello?" she said. "Oh, right." She turned away. "Goku! Krillin, for you!" She chucked the phone to him and Goku grabbed it. He put it to his ear.<p>

"Goku!" Krillin said. "Did you see -"

"Yeah, I've seen it," Goku growled. "We're trying to pick up Goten's energy, but nothing so far. Kuriza's calling people, trying to get a scan going but there's not enough time!"

"We're not having any luck sensing him either! Why are they doing this though? How did they -"

"Baldy!" Vegeta shouted. "Study the TV!"

"What?" Goku called.

"The image is still there, we need to find some clue on the screen as to where they are!"

"How do you figure that?"

"Are you a complete idiot!? They've given us a live image and a countdown! It's part of the game, they want us to find him, so look for clues on the screen!"

Goku turned back to the phone. "Krillin, Vegeta says to study the screen, that there'll be some clue on it."

"Got it!"

* * *

><p>Krillin stared at the TV. He scanned it backwards and forwards, but he couldn't see anything. It didn't help that the image was now minimized slightly, as it returned to the studio, where the presenters were talking about it in nervous tones, communicating with police members who were trying to assess a response.<p>

But his eye suddenly caught something. Something in full view that he hadn't noticed before. The ground was tiled, a little, with some pieces broken off. Blue in colour. He recognized it but he couldn't think where from, like a distant memory. There was something, something ringing in the back of his mind, almost screaming at him, trying to tell him what it was but he couldn't… Then he saw it. Just at the back, past Goten's head, was an object. A person-sized capsule, rounded at the top, straight all the way down, with a window and a number on it.

He brought the phone back to his ear. "Dr Gero's lab."

"What?" Goku said.

"They're in Dr Gero's lab."

* * *

><p>Goku stared at the screen. Three minutes left. "Krillin are you sure?"<p>

"Yes. The blue tiled floors, the capsule thing at the back were where the androids came out of. It has to be there."

Vegeta looked up. "What does he say?"

"Dr Gero's lab."

"What?"

"The blue tiles, the capsule -"

Vegeta whipped his head back and studied it. His eyes widened. "Yes! That's where it is! Come on!"

He jumped up and ran to the window. Goku chucked the phone aside and bolted after him. They leapt through, the window smashing apart, and then simultaneously the golden light, and sparks erupted around them as they jetted away into the night sky.

"Hey wait!" Trunks shouted, running after them, but he was caught and halted by Kuriza.

"No Trunks!" Kuriza said, holding him tight. "You'd slow them down. Let them handle it."

Trunks resisted for a few seconds and then gave in. He knew he was right. He swore and Estella moved over to comfort him.

"Please… Goku…." Chi-Chi whispered, her horrified eyes unable to remove themselves from the image of Goten. "Please save my baby…"

* * *

><p>Gohan's head snapped to the side. Vegeta and Goku's energy was moving fast, towards the north. Gohan flared his white aura and flew after them, a sonic boom echoing in his wake. He picked up speed until he intercepted them and then fell in alongside his father, who was behind Vegeta.<p>

"Did you work out where he is!?" Gohan shouted.

"Yes!" Goku replied. "Dr Gero's lab."

"We're almost there!" Vegeta called back.

Their speed kept increasing, the wind whipping by, faster and faster, until they came upon the mountains. Vegeta concentrated, trying to remember exactly where it was. He remembered… There! A part of the mountain was blown apart. That had to be the place, where Trunks had blown it up. He dived down, with the others following. There was no sign of Goten, but there was a small hole in the ground. The underground lab where Cell had been created. They dropped down and sprinted along the damaged and broken apart corridor, the light of their auras the only illumination they had. And then they saw it, at the end of the corridor, an area in light. And in the centre was Goten.

Gohan hit a burst of speed, jetting past Vegeta and slamming his finger onto the on switch of the machine. Then he looked at Goten and grabbed his face, checking him, looking into his eyes. They were dull, but they had life in them. He could sense distress and worry from his younger brother, but nothing to indicate that he was running out of oxygen and on the verge of death. Gohan breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed back.

"Goten!" Goku shouted. He ran to the side of his son and held him. "Are you all right!?"

"He's fine Dad," Gohan said. "We got here in time. That was too close..."

Goku fell onto his knees, the strength going from them and he rested his head against Goten's arm. "You're all right Goten," he said. "We'll get you out of here in a sec and then on to Dende. He'll be able to do something."

Vegeta stepped into the room. He was short of breath and clutching the small of his back. It had taken a lot of energy to get up there and he'd strained his body more than he should have. "Is the boy okay?"

Gohan nodded.

"Blessed relief. Once he's healed I'm going to give him a good wallop for getting himself into this mess." Vegeta looked at Goten, but there was no obvious reaction from him. He sighed and looked around the chamber. Opposite Goten was a small digital camera on a tripod. Two machines, were either side of Goten, with the drip feed hanging down from a pole next to the chair he was sat on. The rest of the place was deserted. "They did a good job clearing out of here in a hurry…"

"What?" Goku asked.

"The Shadow Dragons. There's no sign of them." He shrugged. "I was saying they did well to get out of here so quickly."

Goku growled. "Yeah… unfortunately..."

"How did they even manage to grab Goten?" Gohan wondered.

"They must have snuck up on him," Vegeta said. "It would be like that fool to allow them to get the drop on him."

"No, it can't be." Gohan shook his head. "They said that the subway had been closed and that the government had claimed it was a gas explosion. That implies it must have been a struggle. But that can't possibly be right."

"Tch, they're probably exaggerating. Trying to claim greater credit."

"Perhaps..." Gohan clambered to his feet with a worried look. He shook his head. "Anyway, no point worrying about it now. Dad are you capable of instant transmission with the machinery?"

"I should be able to," Goku replied. "Just give me a sec to get my breath back and then lock onto Dende."

_Brrrr…. Brrrr…. Brrrr…._

Vegeta growled and reached into his pocket. He took out his phone and saw that Trunks was calling him. "Hello?" he said, answering the phone.

"Dad!" Trunks shouted, sounding panicked. "Are you guys almost there!?"

"We are here," Vegeta said, narrowing his eyes. "We've been here for nearly a minute now."

"You can't be! You're not on the TV!"

"What?"

"The TV still shows Goten on his own. The counter just hit thirty seconds!"

"Well whatever you are seeing on the TV Trunks, I can assure you that we are here."

"But why aren't you on the TV then?"

"How the hell should I know!? But I'm looking at the camera right -" Vegeta turned his head to look at the camera. He paused. He studied it. An ordinary digital camera, on a tripod. But something didn't look right.

"Dad!? Dad!? There's only fifteen seconds!"

What was it… No cables… There were no cables connecting the camera to any kind of transmitter. A dull buzzing sound rose in Vegeta's ears as he turned his head to look at Goten. At the machine on the right, the one that had been turned off. It stood alone. Nothing connected it to Goten. The breathing mask was connected to the machine on the left and that had been on the whole time.

"Dad - five seconds!"

Vegeta dived forward -

"MOVE!" he shouted, causing Gohan and Goku to whip their heads up -

Then the explosion tore through the floor and ripped through the side of the mountain. The great ball of fire exploded out the top, almost like a volcano, sending rocks and debris hurtling into the night sky and collapsing onto the ground below. Then everything was still, the smoke gently wafting along the breeze.

* * *

><p>Uub glanced up. He sensed Vegeta and Goku moving, moving at great speed. Why though? He shrugged and turned back to look at the radar. He was close, the last Dragon Ball was very close to where he was. He was on an open field, past West City, heading into a forested area. The radar was indicating that the final Dragon Ball was amongst the trees.<p>

Odd hang out for a supposed terrorist organisation… he thought to himself.

He journeyed on until he stopped short. He had seen something, in the shadows of the trees. He lowered himself into a fighting stance.

"Okay, who's there!?" he shouted. "Come out!"

There was a silence.

And then a figure emerged. Wearing jeans and a shirt, trainers, with a scruffy blonde hair. His face as soft, and calm. "Hello," the man said. "I've been waiting for you."

Uub blinked. "Have you? Who are you?"

"I am Omega. And you are?"

Uub paused for a moment. It wasn't obvious that Omega knew that Uub knew who he was. There was a chance that he didn't. So he decided to keep that to himself and pretend he didn't know. "Uub… Why have you been waiting for me?"

"You have something I want. And I have something you want." Omega reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, golden sphere with two stars on it. The final Dragon Ball.

Uub's eyes widened. He grit his teeth. "You're..."

"Here, have it." Omega chucked the ball forward and Uub caught it, surprised.

He stared down at it and then back to Omega and then back again, utterly confused. "You're… giving it to me?"

"Yes." Omega stepped forward. "You have some of the others do you not?"

"I have all of them."

Omega's eyes widened. "Then this is perfect. We can both get what we want."

"And what do you want?"

"One wish. That is all. I believe it's possible to have two?"

"Yes… How did you know that?"

"It's an old legend." He paused. "I want nothing sinister I assure you."

"What do you want?"

"My body has… certain defects… that I would like to get rid of." He shrugged. "That is all."

"And you need a wish to do this?"

"Yes." They stared at each other. Omega sighed. "I can sense your suspicion. In similar circumstances I would be too. So I'll make things easy. You can make your wish first. And then, when I'm formulating mine, if I say anything that diverges from what I've said you can kill me. Or incapacitate me if it offends your morality. Deal?"

Uub stared at him, then glanced down at the Dragon Ball. He'd waited so long for this… what would be the harm? It was not like he could do anything against Uub. He was just an ordinary human. "Deal," Uub replied. He slung his backpack off of his back and opened it up. He took out the other six Dragon Balls and chucked them onto the ground. Then he threw in the last one. Omega stepped over to him and stood by his side. Uub could see him clearer now, he stood about a head taller than him and his eyes were an odd purple colour. Uub stepped back a little from the Dragon Balls and held out his hand. "Shenron!" he cried. "Come forth and answer my wish!"

There was silence for a moment.

Then the Dragon Balls shone and a great light arced out of them, spearing up into the sky. That light then twisted around itself, swirling until it settled and, from it, emerged the dragon. Green scales, a moustache swirling away from his snout, clawed hands, two horns, deep red eyes. It was a truly awe inspiring sight and Omega took a step back from it, his mouth dropping.

"You have summoned the eternal dragon," Shenron growled, voice deep and ethereal. "What is your wish? I will grant two."

"Shenron..." Uub whispered. He swallowed. His heart was pounding. This was the moment. "Shenron," he called in a louder voice. "I wish… I wish for you to restore me to how I was. With all my power… Before… Before it was taken away..." He looked to the side. Then he glanced up at the dragon, hopeful.

Shenron was silent. Then he spoke. "This I cannot do. It is beyond my power."

Uub dropped his head. All the adrenaline rushed out of him. It had been a long shot, he knew, but he'd hoped. It was the hope that killed you. "I thought as much," he said. "Thank you for your time." He turned to Omega. "You can have yours now."

"No, wait a moment," Omega said. He stepped forward. "Shenron, is there a power greater than yours that can grant Uub's wish?"

The dragon's eyes flashed, in what Uub thought was indignation as he seemed to take offence to the question. But he was silent for a long time.

A long time…

"Yes," came the answer.

Uub's eyes widened in shock.

"And could you bring it here?" Omega asked.

"No," Shenron snapped. "It's power far exceeds mine. Even to attempt it could kill me."

"Hell..." Uub breathed. What on earth could that be?

"However," Shenron continued. "I could influence its movement so that its course will adjust and it will arrive here. I cannot say when though. Would that please you?"

Omega looked at Uub.

"Uh… yes..." Uub said. "If you can do that then, yes, please."

Shenron's eyes shone. "Your wish has been granted. You have one remaining."

"I guess it's your turn," Uub said. He stepped back a little, wanting to keep an eye on him, keeping his ears open for the formulation.

"Yes, it is." Omega licked his lips. "Shenron, I have a wish..."

"Do you?" the dragon said with something bordering on sarcasm.

"I wish… for you to reconstruct my body so that it matches my spirit."

Uub's ears picked up. That followed what he had said, but it was an unusual formulation.

Shenron's eyes flashed.

Nothing happened.

And then Omega screamed. He collapsed onto his knees and bent forward. Uub stared at him as his body contorted. Bones began to break out of his body tearing through on the shoulders and his back. He contorted and howled again. Something was pushing out from his back. His body colour began to change and the head morphed, a carapace forming around the skull. And around the wrists and the shins. His clothes tore apart and his body was naked. It was turning an odd colour. His feet began to crack and change, becoming smaller and flatter with three long toes out front and one behind. A tail burst from his back, long and strong, curling up in the air with the pain. Red lines dipped from the eyes along the cheeks, the carapace forming around and framing the face, whilst another completed itself along the chest, upper back and shoulders. A gelatinous orb, blue in colour, appeared along the top of the head. Then, with a final roar of pain, Omega turned his head to the sky, fangs appearing, his body turning purple.

Then he collapsed forward. Ragged breathing. Some sobs. But eventually it came under control. Eventually the shaking of the body stopped. Then, slowly, a foot was planted. A hand placed on the knee. He began to push himself up.

Uub, sweating, panting, took a step backwards as the creature drew to his full height. "You… You're -"

"Cooler," the Arcosian said. "My name is Cooler." He looked at Uub. And he smiled.

**To be continued...**

* * *

><p><em>Oh Uub... what have you done?<em>

_Hey there everyone and welcome to this latest episode of Dragon Ball XVI! I hope you all enjoyed it and it was worth the wait. Apologies for the delay but this spiraled way past what I thought it was going to (and it's still not finished and I cut a whole bunch of stuff!) So I had to split it into two parts, otherwise it would have just been enormous.. I hope it's not too annoying._

_Couple of clarifications:_

_1) Nobody noticed the happening with Goten, bar Trunks really but that was because he called, simply because people are used to the higher power levels. When you constantly sense something like that, it becomes habit so it doesn't really trigger in the way it should. A bit like how you're so used to everything in your room being the way it is, you don't normally see any of it (and it takes something being out of place to really notice it)._

_2) Uub's wish couldn't be granted because it was, essentially, asking the dragon to give him all of his power and abilities that he lost (something the dragon can't do as its beyond his power), whereas Cooler's was essentially just asking for a form of revival._

_With that, onto the questions!_

**_Q: _****Planet Eater, that's bad, since it reminds me of Galactus from Marvel, a cosmic entity of possibly unimited power, or Unicron from Transformers, effectively, their equivalent of The Devil. So Sigma and Gamma can control the energy of their opponent, putting them on the same level of as them, interesting. They're lucky they faced Goten who is relatively merciful, they'd have no such luck against Vegeta in his prime, even as an anti hero he is quite ruthless. The Dragon Balls can be a quick fix, but they forget that Shenron is a being in his own right, he doesn't have much personality wise, but I assume he is almost omniscient and of course, capable of granting virtually any wish short of killing someone. Like a Genie that can be summoned again after a year. And GT did one thing right, the Dragon Balls overloading. If THOSE Shadow Dragons show up, someone get 2 Saiyans to SS4 and pronto. I'd imagine even in his old age, Vegeta still has a commanding presence, he's that kind of guy, and while old, he probably could beat any regular human with relative ease. Gamma seems Affably Evil, evil, yes, but when not being a dragon, genuinly nice, unless it's an act. Piccolo, the ever badass, I mean, the guy's probably Vader's size if not taller, add that to his steely glare and the fact that he's crazy strong, and you get the idea. Goku's character has really grown from the naive little boy he once was. Pilaf by these standards, is a joke, but when he was introed, Akira did show that in the right circumstances, he could be very much a threat.**

_A: They've all certainly come a long way - and there's more of Vegeta's commanding presence here :) I can confirm though that the GT Shadow Dragons will not be showing up here. The Planet Eater does take some inspiration from Galactus, but it's going to be much different in a lot of other_ways._You'll just have to wait and see ;)_

**Q: ****I like how Vegeta is playing the wise man in this, and how every character is being portrayed. They are very well in-character, expect for one thing I can't see Goku saying "Yo" for some reason, but that's just me being picky, haha. By the way, I love that Dabura the King of Demons is now basically the Supreme Kai's angel now in doing his deeds now. xD**

_A: It is quite a turn around for both of them xD_

**Q: **

_A: I presume this chapter went some way to answering those questions. Thanks for that, I liked the idea of having a fight in a confined space. Given that DBZ is normally about cross planet, open air battles it seemed like a nice inversion. As for Mariah... mayyybbeee..._

**Q: ****Now here's where I theorise. The Shadow Dragons, I wonder could they perhaps be a type of Android? They don't appear to emit any form of energy that Z-Fighter's can sense, they are on even terms with a Super Saiyan (Not sure if Goten improved much since fighting Kuriza) like Seventeen and Eighteen were, and what especially got me was the fact that Gamma stood her ground easily against Goten's Kamehameha wave, maybe she was absorbing the energy that entire time?**

_A: Interesting theory. I can't say if you're right or wrong, because that would be spoilers, but it's certainly a clever guess. Goten hadn't improved much, if at all, since last time. The disadvantageous comfort of the fusion._

**Q: ****Hey! Great new sequel to Dragon Ball XV. I really home Gohan gets more of a leading role in this one. In XV I felt that whilst he was mentioned often, I didn't feel there was enough leadership comming from him. But that's fine, it was still an absolute joy to read :)**

**I totally have my fingers crossed that there is a wish on either set of Dragon Balls (black or red star) and that it revolves around Gohan. Sorry, I'm biased. I know :P**

_A: Thanks! Nothing wrong with having favourites - I can say that I think Gohan's having a more expanded role this time around, whether that proves to be enough of one though I can't say :P_

**_Q: _****So here are my guesses:**

**1. Shadow Dragons are androids. Doctor Gero is missing, so it's entirely possible. Also they can fight off a SSJ Goten with no problem. **  
><strong>2. The Planet Eater is the Big Ghetti Star. This is dependent on whether or not XVI considers the second Cooler movie canon (it's hard but with a few minor changes it CAN fit in).<strong>  
><strong>3. Mariah is the girl that Raditz encountered many years ago. This one is just a shot in the dark.<strong>

_A: 1) Good guess_

_2) I'm afraid not - the Ghetti start does exist but it's not the Planet Eater._

_3) Again, interesting guess, but incorrect I'm afraid._

**Q: ****Good chapter, now I'm wondering what the hell is going on with those Shadow Dragons. It's been a while since I watched GT (well without trying to rip out my own eye balls) but it seems like these dragons take at least some inspiration from them.**

**The limitation on Z fighters are interesting. Depending on how the cannon works. I can't think of much in DBZ proper that suggests that pin pointing even people you know is easy outside of a fairly small area. And I think SSJ Trunks could block any amount of bullets he wanted. Raditz caught a bullet casually and he was. . .we don't have words to describe how weak he was by comparison to even a base SSJ.**

_A: Lol! It's not an exercise for the weak willed._

_It's not so much that Trunks couldn't block the bullets, as with the wild spraying fire he wouldn't have been able to get to all the locations to stop them in time (or know the trajectory of all the bullets)._

**_Q: _****Another good read. I'm really curious what they are. I know they most likely aren't androids but just like with so many other shows when there is an obvious answer (a recent episode of Supernatural had a hoax monster but a hoax that fit so perfectly into a previous monster that it was annoying that they went most of the episode before suspecting it.) So you can't sense their energy and thus far nobody has pointed out androids or did your guys learn they can sense androids. GT supports it (and frankly so does common sense. )**

_A: Again I can't say whether you're right or wrong for spoiler reasons. I just hope the eventual answer won't be disappointing ^_^;_

**Q: ****First off, let me say that I've been thoroughly enjoying your story. XV and XVI all seem to be a logical progression of the original Dragon Ball Z. Great work and I look forward to reading more.**

**If I may, I think I know what's going in with the Shadow Dragons. They're androids aren't they? It's the only thing that makes sense right now. All the pieces fit. They're able to take on a Ssj and have no Ki signatures. I maybe wrong. But that's where the evidence is pointing right now.**

_A: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed XV and that you're enjoying the current story._

_As for your second question... spoilers forbid me from saying. But the answer will be along soon(ish)._

_As ever thanks for reading and reviewing - it does make me very happy! Till next time!_


	5. Episode Four: The Heart of Darkness (2)

**Episode Four**

The Heart of Darkness, Part 2

* * *

><p>High Captain Miuu looked up from the file in front of him as his comm beeped. He reached over his desk and tapped it. "One message received from Tapion," the comm said in its computerised voice. "Would you like to play?"<p>

"Yes," Miuu replied, leaning back in his chair.

"Message plays:

"Hello, President Kuriza and High Captain Miuu, sending this message on 8/9/678 Galactic Standard. I've been to Bal-Ken. Unfortunately it is no longer. The population is dead and the planet is as well. Fortunately the atmosphere remains in place, though for how long I don't know. Currently I'm being evacced from the planet. A trading ship passing by picked me up and I'm heading back to Alzelor V. This isn't the important piece of news though. That is, I've seen the Planet Eater."

Miuu sat up, his eyes widening in surprise.

"I can't say much at this point except… all of our theories were wrong. At least if my eyes can be believed. Once I arrive at Alzelor V I'll contact you again. Hopefully we can have a full conversation on the matter. Thank you, Tapion out.

"Message ends," the computerised voice said and the com switched off.

Miuu sat back. The room around him was dark, save for the orbiting hover lamp over his desk. He thought for a long moment and then reached over and picked up a tablet form his desk. He tapped at it and brought up a galactic map. He located Bal-Ken and inputted the coordinates for Alzelor V. The distance between them was five standard days, allowing for relative differentials. From when Tapion sent the message, to when he collected it, had been three days. He would arrive on Alzelor V in two more. He tapped the tablet some more and checked his own position. The ship he was on, _Valgalor_, a smaller frigate to a normal star cruiser, was about two days away. Miuu thought and then he reached over to touch the comm.

"Instructions?" the computerised voice asked.

"Relay message from Tapion onto _Frieza Cold_."

"Message relayed."

"Now, issue order to the captain: set a course for Alzelor V to depart immediately."

"Message relayed."

He stood up and walked towards the exit of his study. He wanted to be there to talk to Tapion in person. The importance of his message merited that.

* * *

><p>"Your wish has been granted, farewell," Shenron said. Then he collapsed into the golden light, sweeping back into the Dragon Balls, which then shot up into the night sky, before all seven of them broke away, streaming in different directions. Uub did not look at them. Did not acknowledge them. His attention was solely focused on the Arcosian in front of him.<p>

Cooler arched his back, bones popping. He let out a low, painful, groan as he stretched his body out, easing the tension in the bones and muscles. He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. The he opened them and looked across at Uub. He smiled. "Hello," he said. "Forgive me, it was rude of me to not introduce myself properly." He walked over to Uub and extended his hand. "My name is Cooler, former King of Arcos and President of the Planet Trade Organization." Uub stared down at Cooler's hand and then looked back at the Arcosian. Cooler wiggled the fingers on his hand. "I was given to believe that it was the custom to shake hands when introducing oneself on this planet," he prompted. No response. He withdrew his hand with a sigh. "Very well then."

"What do you want?" Uub asked, his eyes narrowing.

"What do I want?" Cooler furrowed his brows. "I want nothing. I have what I want already, my body restored."

"I find that hard to believe!" Uub spat, bringing up his arms into a readied position.

Cooler held up a hand, palm open. "Please Uub, I don't want to fight."

"Sure you don't. Goku told me about you, Frieza's brother -"

"And?" Cooler interrupted. "Do you always believe everything this Goku tells you? Do you always trust his every judgement."

Uub hesitated. The question struck him, struck him harder than he thought it would. "No," he said, quietly, after a moment.

Cooler smiled. "Good. You look like you're a bright boy. I'm sure you can make your own judgements about me." Cooler stepped back and turned his head up to the sky. "It seems your wish is on its way."

Uub frowned and looked up, keeping his senses fixed on Cooler. He couldn't see anything. "Where? I don't see anything."

"Look harder," The Arcosian prompted.

Uub strained his eyes, still seeing nothing. And then… then he noticed it. Just vaguely. Seven. There were seven more stars in the sky then there should be. And they were getting larger, brighter, as they seemed to be on a direct course for Earth. On a direct course for him. He let out a yell and dived backwards as something crashed to the ground. He twisted his body round and raised a hand to shield his eyes. Cooler stood in front of him, now nothing but a shadow. On the ground a powerful white light shone brilliantly, like a small star. Uub, squinting, stood and walked forward. Looking was painful on his eyes but he kept the light in his sights. He got closer, until he stood next to Cooler, who had turned his head to him. Uub focused and then gasped.

In front of him were seven large orbs. And counting them off, from one to seven, were black stars.

* * *

><p>Silence pervaded the area. The only small noise, on the mountainside, was the sound of small rocks bouncing off one another. Then another sound joined. Low, guttural, muffled slightly. Getting stronger and louder with every passing second -<p>

Suddenly the rocks exploded up in a roar and an enormous white aura. Son Gohan, his clothes torn and burnt rose up screaming his anger to the sky. He cut off his yell abruptly and hung panting in the sky for a moment. Then he scanned the ground below him and focused his mind. Goten! Where are you! He felt the presence of his father and Vegeta, both being slower to recover from the surprise hit. He saw Goku picking himself out of the ground, looking winded and a bit sore but otherwise unhurt. But where was his brother?

Then he felt it, a small energy signature, still buried beneath the rocks. He dived down and launched a kiai wave at the area, blasting away the debris. From beneath them the top of his younger brother's head emerged, his eyes shut, skin and hair burnt. "Goten!" Gohan shouted, landing beside him. He threw the rocks off of him and clasped his brother to him, feeling for a pulse on his neck. The energy in Goten was faint, but it was still there.

"Dad!"

"I'm here!" Goku shouted in reply, leaping over despite the pain he felt in his body. "Is he alive!?"

"Just. We need to get him out of here."

"Right. I'll try finding Piccolo..." Goku closed his eyes, touched his index and middle fingers to his forehead and concentrated.

"Piccolo's no good! If Dende can't -"

"Hold on." They looked over. Vegeta had emerged from the rocks, looking worse for wear, bent over slightly. He had his phone in his hand and was tapping at it. "Just, give me one second..." He tapped send.

_Brrr-Brrr!_

Trunks reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The room around him was in something approaching hysterics - Chi-Chi sobbing, Bulma and Estella trying to console her, Kuriza talking animatedly into his communicator and Bra pacing up and down - so it was a wonder that he felt the phone at all.

He pulled it out of his pocket, expecting to berate some friend for disturbing him at this moment, when he saw that it was from his Dad. He opened it to see that it contained a simple message:

"Go SSJ. NOW!"

Not waiting to explain Trunks clenched his arms and let out a shout that made everyone jump as his hair lifted and turned golden, an aura exploding to life around him -

Goku's head snapped up.

"There!" he yelled. He reached out and touched Goten and a second later they disappeared.

Vegeta slumped onto his back on the ground. "Yeah, don't worry about taking me with you!" he shouted. "I'll be fine making my own way back…. clown..."

* * *

><p>Goku, Gohan and Goten appeared right above Trunks' head and unceremoniously fell on top of him. Before anyone could work out what was going on Gohan leaped to his feet, Goten in his arms, and raced towards the door to the basement. "Bulma!" he called. "Is this the way to the healing tanks!?"<p>

"Uh… yes!" Bulma called back, suddenly working out what was going on and racing after Gohan. Goku and Trunks swiftly followed, whilst Estella put her hand on a stunned Chi-Chi's shoulder.

Gohan leaped down the stairs, landing at the bottom step and bolting forward. "Right!" Bulma called. He swerved in that direction and burst through the door. The energy tanks were there. Three large pods, with pipes stretching out from the top. Gohan ran to the first one and pulled open the door. He put Goten inside and reached out and strapped the breath mask to his face. Then he closed the door. Nothing happened.

"Come one! Come on!" Gohan shouted, smacking the side of the tank. "Why won't you work!?"

There was a small click to his right. Then the tank began to fill with liquid, Goten's body rising slightly with it. Gohan looked over and saw an out of breath Bulma with her hand on a console to the machine's side.

"It… helps..." she panted. "If you… turn it… on…"

"Oh… right… yeah..." Gohan said. He looked at Goten's body. His lips twitched and then be began to chuckle, before he descended into a full on laugh. Bulma reached over and patted Gohan's back.

"It's all right," she said. "He's safe now. The machine will keep oxygen flowing and hold him in a stasis until we can figure out how to heal him."

Gohan, still laughing a little, nodded.

"Is he all right!?"

Bulma looked up to see Chi-Chi burst into the room, followed by Goku and Trunks. She ran over to the machine and slammed her face against it, staring at her youngest son through her red and tear stained eyes.

"Mom? He's going to be okay right?" Trunks asked.

She nodded. "Yes. He will be. His condition will stabilize in the tank but... unfortunately it won't be able to heal him."

"Do you mean he's going to be like this forever?" Chi-Chi choked. Goku put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I don't... no. Not necessarily. We just need to hold him here until either Dende can see him and do something, or we can get a senzu, or I can work something together and help him." She sighed. "The bottom line is that he's out of danger. I'm sorry but that's the best that I can say right now."

"It's all right Bulma," Goku said and smiled at his friend. "That's all we need to know right now. We'll worry about the maybes later. Right now the certainty is that he's safe." He looked back at his wife and hugged her tight. "Our son is safe..." he said, voice cracking.

Gohan pulled himself up from the floor. His hysterics had passed and he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Bulma," he said. "Do you mind if I use your phone? Videl will be wanting to know what's going on."

"Oh, sure, Gohan. Right upstairs."

He smiled and nodded and then, after one last look at his younger brother, turned towards the exit.

Bulma looked around the room. She furrowed her brows. "By the way... where's Vegeta?"

Goku looked up at her, puzzled. Then his eyes widened. "Oh damn! I forgot him!"

Bulma groaned. "Oh he is going to be such a pain when he gets back..."

* * *

><p>Gohan put the phone down and walked over to the sofa. He slumped down on it and let out a long sigh. The talk had not been pleasant. Videl had not known what was going on but, when she heard, had insisted on coming over with Pan. Gohan was against this; he didn't want either of them to see the condition Goten was in, not right now, but he also didn't want to argue over something so silly. He'd relented and was now wondering whether he shouldn't just ask Bulma if they could all stay the night. He had been wanting to anyway. He didn't want to leave Goten, not right now.<p>

He looked over and saw that Estella and Kuriza were both stood at the window. They were looking out it, turned to the right, the West, slightly.

"I'd be careful Kuriza, Trunks gets really jealous really easily," Bra said, sat on the other sofa, cracking a joke to try and lighten the mood.

"What are you two looking at?" Gohan asked immediately after.

Kuriza turned around his expression puzzled. "What time is it?" he asked.

"Time for you to step away from the wife if you don't want a Super Saiyan sized beating," Bra replied.

Estella turned then, her face bearing the same look of confusion. "No seriously, what's the time?" she said.

"Uh..." Gohan looked at his watch. "Round about 9 PM. Why?"

Estella's face bore a greater look of confusion and she turned back. "That can't be..." she muttered.

"What can't be?" Bra asked, standing up.

"The sun is rising..." Kuriza said.

Gohan's eyes widened and he hopped over to the window. He looked in the direction Kuriza was pointing. Sure enough there was a bright light illuminating the sky in the distance. "That's not possible..." Gohan breathed, checking his watch again.

* * *

><p>Uub stared. They surely could not be what he thought they were. And yet it was. Before him were seven Dragon Balls, blazing like the sun, with numbered black stars in the centre of them. Like the ones on Earth. Slightly larger, he could probably carry one under his arm, and glowing much, much brighter, but fundamentally they were the same.<p>

"This... can't... be..." he said slowly.

"Why not?" Cooler asked, looking at him. "Do you claim to know all the secrets of the universe?"

"No but... Dragon Balls... they were created by Nameks. One on Earth and one on Namek. They don't just... drop out of the sky. And these ones are the same... but different... uncanny..." The brightness hurt his eyes. But there was something else. Something deeper and foreboding seemed to emanate with the light. He felt like he was looking down into a deep, dark abyss. And he had a feeling that something was staring back.

"This is a power that can grant your wish," Cooler said, snapping Uub out of his trance. "Or so the other dragon claims." He raised a brow. "Do you wish to try?"

"I... I wouldn't know where to start. You need the password..."

"You won't loose anything for trying."

"All... All right..." Uub took a step back and held out his hand. "Dragon! Come forth and grant my wish!"

They waited... and waited... and...

Nothing happened.

Uub's head fell. "See..." he said, with a sad and bitter tone. "Nothing... Knew it..."

"Wait a moment." Cooler smiled at him. "Please. Allow me to try." Cooler raised his hand and splayed his fingers at the blazing orbs.

"What difference will it make? We can't summon the dragon, idiot!"

Cooler smiled and closed his eyes for a moment. Then he opened them and spoke: "Dà lóng!Chū lái yǒu qiú bì yìng wǒ men de yù!"

The words were not ones that Uub had ever heard before. But they seemed to carry a power and authority that he could not quite place. What was it... But, before he could open his mouth to ask, the light faded. He turned back. The light from the Dragon Balls was sinking back into them until the orbs became dark. They looked like polished obsidian, lifeless except for a small fire inside. Then, suddenly the fire began to grow, expanding outwards inside the stones and then leaping from them -

Cooler shouted and leapt in front of Uub, throwing up both of his arms -

As an explosion roared out of the orbs, sending a shockwave forth that smashed through the trees around them, sending them flying into the air and igniting them, along with the ground around them. A pillar of fire, blazing like a thousand suns, shot towards the night sky above. Lightning made of fire crackled around the pillar. The blast and fire converged around Uub and Cooler but did not hit them. An invisible wall protected them, though the strain of maintaining the telekinetic shield was immense as Cooler fell onto his knees, and screwed his eyes shut, blood pouring out of his nose.

Uub did not notice this. His attention was directed at the pillar and he took an involuntary step back in awe. Sweat coated his face, his eyes wide with fear, as he looked up. Rising up through column was the body of a dragon. Enormous, at least ten times the size and length of Shenron. It let out a high pitched roar, that lowered in pitch rapidly and was lost in the sound of the blaze. The dragon's body swirled out and took shape. It was enormous, it's head the size of a large building and it's body the size of a city. It's skin was red and it had a long white beard and two black horns. Otherwise it was almost identical to Shenron.

The pillar of fire was absorbed into the dragon's body, causing it to glow brighter. The fire disappeared, though some of the grass was still alight. Not a moment too soon as Cooler collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily, the shield falling with him. Sweat ran off his body like a waterfall and blood from his nose dribbled into a puddle on the ground.

Uub stepped forward, gazing up at the dragon. His eyes were wide with awe. It was incredible. He had always thought that Shenron was impressive and intimidating, but this... this was on another level. His eyes hurt to look at the dragon, so bright was it. And he could feel it. A presence, a power, in his mind.

"Nín zhào yǒng yuǎn lóng," the dragon spoke, his voice ethereal and gravelly, his words seeming to both hang in the air and penetrate Uub's body, so that he heard it through his bones. "Biǎo shì nǐ de yuàn wàng, wǒ huì shī rèn hé nín yù."

Uub blinked. "Uh... I can't... I don't understand you! I don't speak..." He turned his head. "Cooler!" But the Arcosian was still struggling to pull himself to his feet. Uub cursed and looked back up at the dragon. It was now staring down at Uub, glowing eyes boring into him. Uub took a step back involuntarily. "Uuh... that is..."

He heard a cough and turned his head. Cooler was pulling himself to his feet. His legs wobbled violently, but he planted his tail on the ground to steady himself. He wiped the blood from his mouth and looked up at the dragon, panting. "He..." he gasped then coughed, paused, and started again. "He... he said he is... the eternal dragon... and that he will grant... any wish... you have..."

Uub felt his body shake. It couldn't be. It couldn't be. His lip trembled and he stepped forward. He drew in a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He looked up and stared into the deep red eyes that stared back into him. He cleared his throat. "I... Dragon... I..." He scrunched his eyes closed, grit his teeth and then shouted, "Please grant my wish! Restore me to the way I was before! Before I lost a part of me!" He'd blurted it out and it hadn't come out right. But it didn't matter. Cooler raised his voice.

"Yǒng yuǎn lóng... huī fù quán qí lì liang yí shī!"

Uub turned his head to the Arcosian and then whipped them back up to the dragon.

The dragon regarded him. It's eyes flashed brightly, like a star before it burns out. Uub blinked, not daring to hope. "Nǐ de yuàn wàng zhào zhǔn."

Uub looked at Cooler. The Arcosian smiled. "Your wish... has been... granted..." Uub gasped, eyes widening. He looked back at the dragon, a smiled growing on his face.

"Gòng fèng gāi qiàn zhài. Sòng bié." Suddenly the dragon's body blazed. Then it morphed into a line of light that disappeared into the Dragon Balls. Shining brightly again the orbs levitated off the ground before streaking into the night sky and out into space as one cluster.

* * *

><p>"Look at that!" Estella shouted, pointing.<p>

Everyone's eyes were drawn as a beam of light shot towards the night sky. The tail end of the beam then followed up towards the top, before dissipating, the sky turning black again.

"What the heck was that?" Bra asked.

"I have no idea," Gohan said. He stepped forward and opened the window, before hauling himself onto the ledge. "But I'm going to check it out. Kuriza?"

"On it," the Arcosian replied, stepping up behind Gohan.

"Let everyone know where we've gone," Gohan said, before leaping out of the window and flying towards where the light had come from, Kuriza following close behind.

* * *

><p>Uub watched the light disappear, body shaking. It couldn't have been... it wasn't possible... it couldn't...<p>

He ripped the bandages off his arms. Nothing. But was that healing? Just now? Or had they already gone. He couldn't be sure. And he had to be. "Damn it!" he cursed. "Did it work!?"

"I don't know," Cooler said beside him. "Let's find out, shall we?"

Before Uub could react a purple bolt landed out and sliced through his right kneecap. Uub screamed and collapsed onto his knees, clutching his right leg. "Shit! What did you do that for!?"

"As a test," Cooler replied. He smiled. "And look..."

Uub took his hand away and his jaw dropped. The small amount of blood from the cauterised wound skunk back into the hole. The bone and ligaments knitted themselves back together. And then the skin regrew and closed over the hole.

Silence.

Uub breathed. "It worked..." He couldn't believe it. "Ha, ha, ha!" he laughed, joyous. "It worked! It really worked!" He could feel it now. The comforting sensation he had had for all his life. The feeling of the power flowing through his body, rippling through his veins with each pulse of his heart. It was a truly miraculous feeling made all the better as he had believed that he would never feel it again.

Clapping drew his attention away from himself and to the smiling face of the person next to him. "Congratulations on your wish Uub," Cooler said. "I am very happy you succeeded."

Uub narrowed his eyes at him. "What is it you really want?" Uub asked, his confidence restoring now that he was his old self again. "You surely didn't summon that out of the kindness of your heart? And how did you know the code words to activate it? What was that language?"

Cooler raised his hands, palms out, placating. "Uub, I would delight in answering all of your questions," he said in a calm tone of voice. "But I'm afraid that I really don't have time. After all summoning the dragon caused a fair bit of damage around here," he gestured to the surrounding countryside, which still had pieces of grass on fire, with large swathes of the forest blown over and ignited. "And I would very much prefer not having to explain everything." Cooler smiled. "Especially to your friends. Given the wrong foot we got off on, last time I met them, I don't think they'd like to hear my side of the story."

"What!?" Uub whipped his head around and reached out with his senses. He spotted it almost immediately. Gohan and another power he didn't really recognize. Heading towards them. Fast. "Cooler -!" he turned around, but the Arcosian had vanished. Uub looked around him. The devastation was great and he certainly did not want to explain what he was doing that caused it, or what he had wished for. He couldn't, not yet.

He swore, swiped his bag from the ground and ran for the trees. He dived under some overturned trunks and lay on the ground, peeking out through a crack between the trunks, observing as the white aura of Son Gohan and the purple aura of the other one touched down.

Son Gohan looked left and right, Kuriza doing the same. He took in the sight of the devastated forest and of the small flames licking around the tips of the grass. "What on Earth happened here?" Gohan muttered. He stretched out with his senses but could not pick up anything. Nothing unusual at any rate. In the distance they could hear sirens.

"We'll want to finish this investigating quickly," Kuriza muttered. He wandered over to particularly badly affected piece of land, that was blackened badly. He knelt down on it and brushed his hand over the top. Something glinted beneath the soot and he reached down and pulled out a long shard of glass. "Gohan!" he called. The half-Saiyan looked over. "Come over here."

Gohan walked over and Kuriza handed him the glass. "What's this?" Gohan asked twisting it over his hands.

"It's glass," Kuriza said.

Gohan sighed. "Yes I know it's glass. What I mean is what is the significance of it."

Kuriza swept his hand out. "It's in the middle of an area with nothing else going on around it, on a spot that has clearly been the epicentre of whatever it was that caused this." Kuriza shrugged. "The glass has to be a natural product of the ground. The heat, the pressure. I'm sure you know what that indicates..."

Gohan cupped his chin in his hand and thought. "I know what it could indicate. But from the other signs around, that's impossible. The damage here is not consistent with what would cause this. It's too contained."

"Leaving us with the conclusion that something else of great power was here..." Kuriza stared at the ground a moment and then got to his feet, dusting his hands off. "Whatever it was, its gone though. And we're not going to learn anything more standing around here."

"Maybe we should take a wider look in the area?"

Kuriza shook his head. "No. Those sirens are getting closer and closer, and your public relations are bad enough without adding this to the repertoire."

"People wouldn't -"

"They would. Now let's get out of here."

Gohan looked down, disappointed, and chucked the glass back onto the sooty ground. Then the two of them ignited their auras and took to the air.

Beneath the pile of tree trunks Uub breathed a sigh of relief. The sirens were now very loud and shortly ambulances, police cars and fire engines turned up. People shouted to one another, clambering out of the vehicles, with the firemen grabbing their hoses and turning them on dousing the fires that were on the grass.

"Get down to the villages nearby!" someone shouted. "Check that they're all right!"

The ambulances' sirens switched on again and they went off, a few police cars following them. An officer walked over towards the trees.

Time to go, Uub thought. He crawled backwards under the trees. Once he was under the cover of the forest he stood up and darted through the trees, keeping his energy as low as he could. As he darted through the lines of trees he did not notice Cooler leaning back against one, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

* * *

><p>Vegeta, grumbling to himself, picked his way through the rubble, chucking bits and pieces out of the way. He had received a message from his son, apologising on behalf of Goku for the mess-up and asking if he would like him to pick him up. Being forgotten was insulting enough, without having to be collected, so he turned it down. In truth he was not too displeased about not having instantly transmitted. It gave him time to hunt around the area and he was curious to see what he could find, if anything.<p>

He pulled away a few pieces more of rubble and then stumbled across something. A pod, like the one he had seen Android 16 emerge from, lay amongst the rocks, relatively unharmed. And open. He moved some more rubble out of the way and knelt beside the casing, examining it. The cables around it had all been cut away, but neatly. It was not damaged by accident, but done deliberately. He touched his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. A nagging suspicion was starting to confirm itself in his mind. Someone had cut the cables for the capsule, indicating that it was no longer in use, but had left it here deliberately. It had been used, of that he was sure, and the cutting of the cables indicated that it's use was no longer needed. But then why leave it? Was that an indication it might be used again? Or just a part of the game?

He growled and stood, crossing his arms. Whatever. He had seen enough and knew enough now. He floated up into the air, musing over his thoughts. Once he was above the clouds he turned his direction towards Capsule Corp. and began to fly slowly back.

* * *

><p>When Gohan slipped through the window of Capsule Corp. he found that his father was now sat in the living room, alongside Bra, Trunks and Estella. Kuriza followed Gohan into the room and glanced down at his comm. He noted the small flashing light on it, indicating a new message and made his apologies to the room, before departing to listen to the message privately.<p>

"Where's Mom?" Gohan asked.

"She's downstairs," Goku replied. "She's not going to leave Goten's side."

"Sounds like her."

"I filled everyone in," Bra said. "On the lights out there. What was it?"

Gohan sat himself down on the available space on the sofa. He scratched his nose. "I don't know," he said after a moment.

"No clues at all?" Estella asked.

"Not really. That is, there were some things, but they all added to the confusion rather than clearing it up."

"Such as?"

"Well..." He paused for a moment as he considered his words. "There was a lot of destruction in the area, trees blown over. Parts of the grass was on fire and some of the trunks of the trees were signed and burnt. More particularly, in one spot, part of the ground had turned to glass, indicating that there was a lot of heat and pressure on that point." He paused again. "It's hard to get a reading on what could have happened there. Other than something with a lot of heat and light existed in a spot for a time, that knocked over trees and set fire to the area. What that could be I don't know."

"Strange..." Trunks murmured. "I don't know of anything that would match the description you gave."

"Do you think it's anything to worry about?" Goku asked.

Gohan shook his head. "I'm not sure. All I can say for the moment is that we don't know anything and, given all the other stuff we have to worry about, this should probably go to the bottom of the pile."

At that moment Kuriza returned. The group's eyes turned towards him. His face bore an odd combination of disturbed and happy. "Is everything all right?" Estella asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yes," he said. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to return to my ship."

"Huh? Why?"

"I just received an important message from Miuu. One of our agents has discovered some potentially vital information. He's on his way to meet him and I want to be available to join by video conversation."

"Wow, that must be important," Bra said. "What is it?"

"Galactic politics. Nothing I can really divulge at the moment. Besides which, you have your own problems to be dealing with." He fiddled with the comm. before returning it to his belt. "I apologies. Will you inform Bulma?"

"You're leaving right now?" Bra raised an eyebrow. "This must be really important."

Kuriza nodded. "In any case... Excuse me." He bowed to the room and then walked over to the window. He opened it and stepped onto the balcony. He took a deep breath and his tail straightened up behind him. He closed his eyes and his body seemed to expand and then relax, as though he was pushing air around his system. Then he opened his eyes and hopped off the window. He took flight, heading straight up towards the sky. Once a suitable distance from the city he ignited his aura and a sonic boom rung out as he rocketed towards space, hitting escape velocity and pulling beyond Earth's gravity.

"If he's leaving in that manner, that quickly," Bra said. "That makes me even more worried about what he's concerned about."

"Another item to add to the rapidly expanding list..." Trunks muttered.

"No sense worrying about it," Goku said. "If Kuriza needed our help he would have asked."

Gohan nodded. Then, unexpectedly, he picked up the energy signature of his daughter and wife arriving. He sighed and stood up. "Pan and Videl are here," he announced. "I'll go down to greet them."

"They're not using the window like everyone else?" Bra asked.

"Apparently not," Gohan replied.

"Civilised people. Makes a change." Bra stood up. "I'll come down with you. I'd like to see Pan."

* * *

><p>The drip was beginning to annoy Gamma.<p>

After having been summoned to the location by Omega, all six of the Shadow Dragons, they had been sat there for hours. The location was one of their dingy safe houses. A run down area in the ghettoed outskirts of West City. The house was abandoned, had been destroyed and improperly repaired. Hence the damaged pipe and the drip. The annoying drip. And that was before the smell was considered. The room was a lit by a low light, from the single weak bulb hanging by its wires from the ceiling.

"Bullshit..."

The voice of discontent came from Epsilon, the one with the pink mask with the expression of a sleeping dragon. She was dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a shirt, shoulder length blonde hair framing the mask.

"Hmm?" Delta, red mask with an angry dragon, said. She was attired in combat gear, long hair flowing from behind the mask.

"This is bullshit," Epsilon repeated. "Seriously he asks us to come here for a big important meeting and we're sat around here, in this shithole, for two hours. When is he going to turn up."

"Quit your whining Epsilon," Theta, a yellow mask with the wide-eyed expression of a surprised dragon. He was sat on a box across the room, sharing it with Sigma (green, with a crazy expression).

"Oh come on I'm not the only one thinking this."

"But you are the only one saying it."

"So? Don't I have a right to speak? Or are the rest of you just more cowardly?"

Gamma, leaning against the back wall, watched on with amusement.

"Shut your mouth Epsilon or I'll shut it for you."

There was silence for a moment.

"I mean, don't get me wrong," she continued. "I'm not being ungrateful or anything. But seriously, we've done a shit load for him, against my better judgement I might add, and he still treats us like this?"

"If all you're going to do is bitch then you can just clear off," Sigma, green dragon with a crazy expression, said from where he was sat in the middle of the floor.

"Well maybe I will!"

"Like hell you're going to go running back to your parents!" Delta laughed icily. "Or don't you remember who put you in hospital in the first place?"

"That's not fair!" Epsilon yelled stepping into the centre of the room. "Daddy didn't meant to -"

"Didn't mean to smack you round the head with a club and nearly give you brain damage?"

"That's not -!"

"Oh quit it Delta," Theta said. "Otherwise we'll have to put up with her crying along with everything else."

"Stop treating me like a baby!" Epsilon yelled. "You know what screw all of you! I don't care anymore! And I'm taking this damn stuffy thing off!"

"You can't!" Gamma stepped in. "We're forbidden to take off the masks in each others presence!"

"I don't care!" She reached up and gripped it. "I'm not afraid! He isn't even here anyway!"

The door creaked open and everyone froze. Gamma turned her head to the door and her eyes widened. Standing in the door frame was a strange creature. Tall, with purple skin and white bony armour over his chest and shoulder blades. A keratin of blue sat in the middle of a armoured crest on his head and a long tail dropped down his back and out the door. He was wreathed in shadows and hard to make out in the dim light and against the doorframe. The creature's disconcerting grin was all too visible though.

"My, my," the creature said. "This is an interesting gathering. And such interesting things I am overhearing."

Silence pervaded the room. Epislon's mask was still on and she stood in the centre of the room frozen.

"Who... what... are you...?" she whispered.

"I'm Omega," the creature said. "The end of all things." He crossed his arms and stepped forward. "Though if you want my actual name it is Cooler. As for 'what' I am an alien. Arcosians is what we called ourselves though we have many names." He smiled some more and walked further into the room, all eyes on him. "The Light Bringers some called us. The Raisers, an intentionally and delightfully ambiguous name. Most of our enemies gave us a different title: the Frost Demons." Cooler stopped in front of Epsilon, whose bugging eyes behind the mask were fixed on him. "Because of our icy hearts and our malevolent ways."

"Why did you ask us to come here?" Gamma said. Her mind was whirling with questions, but the tension in the room was acute. Best to start to break it and let... Cooler... divulge.

"Because phase one of the plan is completed," he said, turning to her. "And I'm here to tell you all phase two. Things are going slightly faster than I anticipated but that is no great loss to us."

"So tell us then," Delta said.

"I will do, but first of all we need to address the question of loyalty." Cooler turned around. Epsilon stiffened. "Before I can divulge more the plans I need to be certain that you are all on my side. Every one of you." His eyes shifted onto Epsilon. She swallowed. "Do you have any problems?"

"I... well... I'm not..." She swallowed again and took a deep breath. "What are we doing? We've... I've killed people... I didn't..."

"Yes you have. And you did that for me and I am grateful. But I would remind you of what you owe me." He looked around the room. "All of you, every single one of you owes me your lives. I saved you. Rebuilt you. Made you powerful." His eyes fixed back on Epsilon. "Don't tell me you didn't enjoy exercising it."

"I don't... That is I... I didn't... This is wrong!"

"Is it?" Cooler smiled coyly.

"Yes! You all know it!" She gathered her courage. Gamma held up a hand, behind Cooler's back, pleading with her to back down. But she either didn't see it or ignored it. "You brought us back but you're just some alien. You don't care about us!"

"That's true. You were chosen for convenience not out of special care."

"And I'm done with it! I'm sick of killing people and I don't even what to know what more sick things you have planned!" Epsilon reached up and ripped her mask off, tearing it in the process. It revealed a heart-shaped, freckled face, with naïve but fiery eyes. "I'm going home! And I'm not going to let you stop me!" She raised her hands up, energy balls powering in them. "I'm going to re-join my family!"

Cooler grinned. "Yes, I imagine you will." Then his face hardened and his right hand flashed up diagonally, bottom left to top right, his index and middle finger extended.

Epsilon froze. Her body shook a little. A small red line slid it's way up her body, from her hip, through the centre of her chest and finishing at the top of the opposite shoulder. Blood spread out into her clothes, which had torn. Her eyes widened in shock and fear and blood dribbled from her lips. Then the top of her body, along the dividing line, slid down and dropped to the floor, hitting it with a wet thud and rolling to the side. The remaining part of the body, a mix of wires and circuitry now exposed, collapsed back down, blood seeping out onto the floor.

Gamma just about managed to hold in her gasp. Everyone in the room stared wide-eyed at Epsilon's still twitching body. Then all eyes turned to Cooler.

Cooler lowered his hand and looked around the room. "So... does anyone else have any objections?" Silence. "Good." Cooler smiled again. "Now we can move onto discussing phase two. But first, Delta, retrieve her core."

"Wh... what?"

"Epsilon's core. We'll need it. Retrieve it for me please."

Delta climbed to her feet, shaky and stepped over to Epsilon. She took a deep breath and kneeled down next to the body. Epsilon's eyes flicked to her and small rapsing noises came from her mouth. Delta looked back to Cooler, who nodded encouragingly at her. Delta took a deep breath, looked into Epsilon's wide eyes and then thrust her hand into the open wound. Epsilon's eyes widened further and her body shook, before it suddenly went still as Delta ripped her bloodied hand out from her, clutching the small, spherical core in her hand.

"Excellent," Cooler said. "Hold onto that for me will you?" Delta nodded and stumbled back to her place in the room. "Now... allow me to begin outlining phase two..."

* * *

><p>Son Goku opened the balcony door and stepped out into the cool night breeze. He stepped over to the rail and crossed his arms on it and leaned his chin on his arms. Chi-Chi, exhausted, had collapsed into the bed and fallen asleep instantly. It had taken a while for Goku to convince her to leave Goten and get some rest. He was, himself, feeling exhausted but he didn't want to sleep just yet. He wanted to think for a moment and figured the night air would help keep him awake.<p>

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever come out."

Goku's eyes snapped to the side and he was surprised to see Vegeta sitting on the balcony railing.

"Vegeta?" he said, surprised. "When did you get here?"

"I've been sitting here for about thirty minutes now, waiting for you to stop stroking that woman's hair." The Prince turned his dark eyes to Goku. "Thanks for taking me with you by the way."

Goku laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry about that. In my defence I was in a bit of a rush."

Vegeta waved it away. "How is Goten?"

"Stable. At least."

"Hmm."

They were both silent for a moment.

"So where do we go from here?" Goku asked.

"Huh?"

"You said this was part of a game. What's going to happen now?"

"I would have thought it obvious. News will leak that we saved one of our own. People will get angry and think we could have stopped the others. And that will sow discord and anger against us. Eventually something bad will come of it."

"How so? We're all stronger than them."

"Yes, I know that you imbecile. But what good is your strength when you won't hit your opponent?" Vegeta eyed him sternely.

Goku grimaced and turned away. "I guess that's true." He stared off into the night. "So I take it that means we're going to have to be more active in finding and stopping them now."

"It won't be that easy. They're androids."

"What?" Goku looked over at him. "Are you sure?"

Vegeta, looking out over the city, nodded. "Yes. They beat Goten, first clue. Dr Gero's lab was where they stored him. And there were used pods under all the rubble. Whoever is behind this is being very clever."

"Do you think Dr Gero could be involved?"

"How? He's dead. All of his creations are dead."

"I don't know, he did always have plans within plans. I mean, maybe he found a way of reviving himself and built some kind of super android based on an earlier plan that he decided not to activate until now."

Vegeta snorted. "I've never heard anything so ridiculous."

Goku gave a wry grin.

"The tactics being used though... they do remind me of something..."

"Really? What?"

Vegeta stared out for a moment. Then he shook his head. "Nah. Nothing." He floated off of the top of the balcony. "Goodnight Kakarot," he said, before flying over towards the other side of the compound.

Goku watched him go and then turned his gaze back to the horizon. He looked at it for a long while.

* * *

><p>Pan leaned back against the pillow and blew air out of her mouth. "Wow... That's a lot that's gone on today."<p>

"No kidding..." Bra said. They were lying on her bed, with a chess board between them. Bra played black and Pan white. About half the pieces were gone, though both still had their Queens, the other pieces scattered around next to the board. Bra advanced her knight. "Your move."

Pan leaned forward and studied the board. "I wonder what the strange light was."

Bra shrugged. "No idea. We've all been spending ages going over that one." She observed as Pan advanced a pawn so that it was at a diagonal to her rook. "I mean it seems to ring a bell in my head, but every time I think I'm getting close to it, the idea disappears." Bra reached over and moved her rook so it stood in front of the pawn.

"I know what you mean." Pan reached out and advanced her bishop, taking Bra's rook. The other girl cursed. "Almost like we're not paying attention to something important." She grinned.

"Oh screw you! You're so dead!"

Pan laughed. "Like you could beat me in anything."

"I might give you a good fight. I have been training."

Pan's jaw almost dropped. "You? _Training_?"

"Yeah." She blushed a gave a small smile. "Daddy thought he was going insane when he heard."

"What brought that change?"

"The events of last year." She moved her queen. "I don't know. I just felt really helpless, on the side lines. Doing my bit, sure, but not enough. So... I decided to start improving. So that next time... Probably stupid."

Pan smirked. "Time will tell I suppose." She moved her queen forward and took Bra's.

"You little -!"

* * *

><p>Baldwin closed the phone and slumped back into his chair. It was late, in his office, only the lamplight on. And he was very tired. And very annoyed. He had had to work late, on a variety of leads that went nowhere and authorising infiltration of subversive groups in West City looking to agitate the local populace. As if they needed anymore agitating! And now this. A disturbing report about bright lights being seen, an entire area and nearby village devastated and a fire started on the grounds. This was getting to be too much now. Far too much. He drummed his fingers on the table and looked at his watch. Too late now. He had had enough with waiting around. If Bulma Briefs did not come to him by tomorrow afternoon, he would see to her himself.<p>

He reached out and turned the lamplight off.

* * *

><p>The next day, it was only after all the guests had left, that Bulma allowed herself to turn the TV on. Her heart sank when she saw the news, her worst fears confirmed. Non-stop the feed was that Goten had been saved, the Shadow Dragons having announced the news and released the tape showing it. Initial confusion over the cut out of the feed had turned to anger and wall-to-wall coverage. The anger stemmed from the fact that this seemed to confirm what the Shadow Dragons were saying; that they could have saved the others but chose not too. They chose to only save their own.<p>

It made Bulma angry to see the reports and to see that the few defenders there were, were being pushed out or condemned. But she also knew PR. To say something know, at this stage, would sound like trying to weasel out of it. There was no choice but to wait it out, try and catch the Shadow Dragons before then hopefully and then, when things had died down a little bit, get the correct version of events out there. She just had to hope that they would be able to get to that point.

On top of that there was the news that Kuriza had left unexpectedly to deal with something. That was a whole different class of worrying.

The doorbell rang, snapping her out of her worries. She moved over to it and opened it and her eyes widened in surprise. "Uub," she said. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey Bulma," he replied. She looked him over and, though he looked the same as when she last saw him she also felt that there was something different about him. There was the same mohawk hair, the same eyes, same shape. But something wasn't quite right. "I just came to leave you this." He held out the Dragon Radar.

Bulma took it from him and then looked at him, puzzled. "Don't you still need it?"

He shook his head. "No. I found all of them and then did what you asked."

She raised an eyebrow. "But... you didn't say anything? What about the Shadow Dragons?"

Uub scratched his cheek. "I have no idea. I found the last two Dragon Balls in the same place. They were lying in the middle of a field. It wasn't unsuspicious so I didn't think to call or anything."

"That's... strange... why would they be there...?" She frowned.

"Search me. Maybe they didn't have one after all."

"Perhaps... But I was sure..."

He shrugged. "Well, whether they did or didn't that's the problem taken care of."

"Yes..." She looked at him curiously and then smiled, shaking her head. "Yes I guess it is. Thanks Uub."

"No problem. Thanks for lending it to me."

"Do you want to come in? See Bra? I know she's been worried about you."

Uub hesitated and then shook his head. "Ah, no, not this time. I promised my Mom I'd go see her straight away. I'll catch her some other time. Send her my regards though." He stepped back and waved.

"Okay. See you around."

Uub smiled... a little nervously? Then it was gone and he had turned and was walking away.

Bulma shut the door and reviewed the conversation in her head. Something about it was off but... she shook her head. No. Nothing. There were more important things to worry about. She glanced down at the Dragon Radar in her hand. Now she would just have to hope that her plan would work.

It was only when she made her way back to the bedroom that she stopped and realized what was off about Uub. Firstly he no longer wore the bandages around his arms. And secondly his appearance had, very, very faintly taken on a deeper shaded purple colour; as if his skin was covered in a bruise.

* * *

><p>"Dragons..."<p>

"Huh?"

Gohan looked up, snapping out of his thoughts. Videl was there, perched on the arm of the sofa. "Sorry," Gohan said. "I was zoning out."

"Really? You've never done that before," Videl replied with evident sarcasm.

Gohan blushed and gave her a lopsided grin. "I apologise Ms Satan, you now have my full attention."

"Good. Now that I have it can you tell me what it was you were mumbling about?"

"Oh... well... I was just wondering... well why the Shadow Dragons? Why that name specifically?"

"How do you mean?"

"They could have chosen any name. The anti-Saiyans, anti-Super people, something that describes what they're doing. But they chose Shadow Dragons. Why? It seems an odd name to pick and nobody would get the reference, or the seemingly obvious reference. It's almost like the name was picked as some kind of in-joke, that only we were supposed to understand."

Videl touched her finger to her chin and thought for a moment. "Do you not think you're being a little paranoid?" she said after a moment. "It could have just been a random choice."

"It could have been but their knowledge about us suggests otherwise. The location they picked for Goten... there just too much for it to be convience."

"And what do you think it means?"

"I don't know... but it worries me. A lot."

* * *

><p>Later, at dinner, Bulma, Vegeta and Bra were sat at the table, eating in a subdued atmosphere. The initial relief at having saved Goten had given away to something else. Something harder to define. A caution of some sort. Chi-Chi and Goku were eating downstairs with Goten, Chi-Chi having refused to be anywhere else other than at her youngest son's side.<p>

"What do you reckon is going to happen now?" Bra asked.

"I don't know," Bulma replied. "The coverage on the news wasn't favourable. Ungrateful jerks," she added in a mutter.

"What about the Shadow Dragons?"

"We, that is Uub, got their Dragon Ball. They still have whatever secret project those degenerates at Pod Corp. we're working on. Though knowing them and their shoddy work that stuff is probably more of a threat to the Shadow Dragons than it is to us."

Bra laughed.

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Bra said, hopping up from her seat. She crossed the room towards the door.

"That's unusual, Bra volunteering," Bulma said.

"She had to learn some manners sometime," Vegeta grunted.

"Your charm rubbing off on her at last?" Bulma grinned.

Vegeta scowled but did not reply.

They heard some noise by the door, people talking, before two sets of feet walked back towards them. Bulma looked up from the table and her eyes widened a little. Walking behind Bra, dressed in his coat with a hat on, was Baldwin.

"Uh, Mom, this guy says he knows you," Bra said. "That he came to see you some time ago about something?"

Bulma stood and waved her hand at Vegeta's curious glance. "Yes, he did."

"Ms Briefs," Baldwin said, smiling. "Delighted to make your acquaintance again. I'm sorry for intruding like this, but would you mind awfully if we had a chat somewhere private?"

"No, not at all. This is my husband, Vegeta, by the way. And my daughter Bra."

"Charmed," Baldwin said smiling at them both. Neither replied.

"This way please," Bulma said, pointing towards the living room. Baldwin followed her in there and she motioned for him to sit down on the couch, which he did. She sat down opposite him. "I wasn't expecting you for another week."

"No, I wasn't expecting to be here so early either. Unfortunately outside events have rather forced my hand, and the need to act swiftly is now a priority." He cleared his throat. "I'll dispense with the pleasantries and get straight to the point: do you have the dragon radar for me?"

"Yes I do. Hang on a moment." Bulma stepped away and went upstairs. She came back a few moments later with the dragon radar in hand and held it out to Baldwin. He took it with a smile.

"Thank you Ms Briefs. And how does it work?"

"Just click the top of the machine, that'll turn it on. It has three different range modes, from metres, to miles too hundreds of miles, with each box of the grid marking one of those."

"Perfect." Baldwin tapped the top of the machine. It came on and displayed the green gridded lines, with a circle marking the radar in the middle. There was no mark for a dragon ball though. He tapped again and the range changed, though nothing changed on the screen. Frustrated he pressed it again, going to hundreds of miles, but still nothing. "There's nothing!" he said, angry. "I can't see anything!"

"Strange. The machine is working though. I guess the dragon balls must not be in range."

"But this is showing up to seven hundred miles! It can't be possible that there's nothing in the area!" His eyes opened slightly and he glared at Bulma in fury. "You!" he hissed. "You... you or someone you know gathered them and used them! That's why they're not showing up, they're inert!"

"Really?" Bulma raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that quite a conclusion to reach from just one trial?"

"You tricked me!" He pointed a finger at her and leapt to his feet, his face turning purple.

"I promised to give you the dragon radar, and now you have it."

"You -!"

"Is everything all right out here?"

Bulma looked over her shoulder to see Vegeta looking at them from the back of the room.

Baldwin stared at him for a moment and then his face relaxed. A cunning smile crossed his face and he took out his phone and tapped some keys on it and replaced it in his pocket. "Mr Briefs, I'm glad you came around here when you did," he said, his voice smooth and charming again.

Bulma looked over at him, her eyes quizzical.

"Are you?" Vegeta said. "Well I can't say the same. Now if your business is concluded, leave my house and don't come back again."

"Certainly," he said, bowing slightly to him. "I apologies for earlier, not bowing to a Prince is bad manners, even on this world."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed as Bulma's widened. She stepped over to Baldwin as he began to head to the door. "Baldwin, don't -"

"I'm afraid that I will have to come back though, Prince Vegeta," Baldwin continued. "As of now you are under arrest, for the destruction of East City some years ago. You might remember that? Don't leave the house or the area, people will be along to pick you up soon. And don't bother trying to threaten me, my superiors have already been notified of it and will be spreading the news."

He turned his head at the door and looked back to see both Vegeta and Bulma's furious expressions. Baldwin laughed and grabbed the handle. "Thank you for the radar, we'll hold onto it for now. What's another year after all?" He opened the door and then paused. "You know, I really can't wait to see what happens to Capsule Corps. shares tomorrow."

Then, with a final smile, he swept out and the door slid shut behind him.

* * *

><p><em>Well, here we are again... at last...<em>

_First of all apologies to everyone for the ginormous amount of time it took for this one to come out. I honestly thought it would only take me a couple of weeks but... life intervened. Anyway I got behind on this and lots of other things (btw, to those who's stories I've not reviewed recently - I fell behind on that as well. I'll be playing catch up over the coming weeks, sorry for that)._

_Anyway this is continuing and hopefully I'll be back on track now, but I'll hold off on saying that it will definitely be monthly updates. For the moment things might be a bit of an 'as and when' format._

_As to this chapter... it's probably a bit haphazard (the curse of it being really stop and start) but, hey, things are happening. The Shadow Dragons being androids is probably the most unsurprising twist ever xD_

_So a couple of points to cover:_

_1) A word on Cooler: he's not that powerful - he's probably a bit stronger than what he was in Meta-Cooler but he could only really fight on a par with a SSJ (possibly beat in his fifth form). However he does have other means of defeating opponents (as demonstrated here)._

_2) The conversation with the dragon is in mandarin (though probably not good mandarin - I am just learning), done in Pinyin style so it's not so confusing on what it sounds like. And yes there is a reason for this. Briefly the translation goes as follows:_

_Cooler: Great dragon! Come forth and grant our wish!_

_Dragon: You have summoned the eternal dragon. State your wish, I will grant any you so desire_

_Cooler: Eternal dragon... restore to him all of the power that was lost [Note how this is different to what Uub's wish was]_

_Dragon: Your wish has been granted._

_Dragon: The sacrifice/debt will be paid/collected. Farewell._

_Suitably ominous._

_Also this dragon isn't quite operating on the same rules as the GT dragon - so don't go assuming that there's a one-year reprieve._

_3) And then there were six: yes the Shadow Dragons are all the coma patients that have been briefly mentioned (well done if you picked up on that). There were also too many of them, hence Epsilon's demise._

_4) The glass out of earth is a real phenomenon (though the artistic licence here is that I think it's only occurs with sand.) After the nuclear explosion test in New Mexico (I think) they discovered that the combination of heat and pressure from the explosion had turned some of the sand into glass. If you follow Ancient Astronaut theories this is also the argument used for the notion that there was an ancient atomic war - due to glass being found in sand in Libya. A meteorite explosion is the most likely explanation for that though. Back to the point though - basically that's supposed to be a clever way of illustrating the power contained in the dragon (though you can be the judges of how successful that is)._

_Now, onto the questions!_

_**Q: **_**I was wondering why they didn't simply use the dragon balls to figure out the identity of the Shadow Dragons, they dn't have all of them. One would think though, that Gohan's neighbor would be genre savvy enough not to annoy him, just woken up or not. So, the hell happened to Goten? I'm confused. Oh dear crap, Omega is Cooler. This just got 20% Cooler in 10 seconds flat! Sorry, I had to say it, had to! I hope for Uub's sake that his power is Super Saiyan level or higher or else, he's screwed against Cooler who with his 5th form is even stronger than Frieza, as well as Dangerously Genre Savvy... I wonder how Kuriza will react to his (not very) dear, (not) sweet uncle?**

_A: Goten was paralyzed in the neck, cutting off his oxygen supply to his brain. That was him there, hooked up to the machine, but he wasn't actually in danger (not really). That was just a ruse to draw the others out and then hit them with the explosion, from a bomb located underground._

_*Groans at joke* Kuriza's reaction will come later - for now Cooler's going to be keeping a low profile._

_**Q: **_**Fine, since all the obvious picks have been made, I'll take the dumb ones. I do this out of Shadow dragons all have divine ki! That's why they can't be beaten or sensed! Also Kid Buu is the strongest and Broly's power is maximum! Trololololo**

_A: Well... that's probably the strangest review I've got in a long while xD I can confirm though that your theory is 100%... wrong. Apart from Broly's power being maximum, because it is :P_

_**Q: **_**Uub... just directed the Planet Eater to Earth... didn't he? Omega is Cooler. That explains several of his abilities and knowledge. But if my first point is right, he has some connection with the Planet Eater. What could it be and what motive, if not revenge, can he have?**

_A: Well... in a way he has... :P Cooler as yet has no connection with the Planet Eater. As for his motives... revenge is part of it, but he has some higher ambitions than that.  
><em>

_**Q: **_**Cooler!? That was the most shocking twist I have ever come across the history of forever! How did he return to life, it can't be reincarnation since the events of his escape from Heaven where only a year ago! Oh my God, that was unexpected though (For a moment, I was expecting Omega to turn into Syn from GT, but... This is even 'Cooler' though!) ...Haha...ha... I'll stop now. Anyway, I have to say this was amazing. It was fluent, constantly encouraging me to read more. There was one I think two typos I saw, one being the "You're time starts now." But besides that minor typo, it was all very good. The part where Goku finds Pilaf, I was expecting him to just find him in some dodgy warehouse but this was even better. I loved how Goku just ever so casually walks though this massive Armed Forces base. xD I also like how this expands on XV where Gohan loses his arm and how Pan becomes Majin. I like how you're conveying all the stress those prior events have caused for everyone to. Additionally, this also provides a reasonable explanation on why Gohan stopped training, rather than the 'Chi-Chi made him study 24/7' your explanation is my new head cannon for it now, if that's cool of course. Goten! :'( Please don't tell me the real Goten is dead, and they found some decoy! Also, Dr. Gero's Lab. Could Dr. Gero be also involved in this, he was one of the people who escaped in Otherworld. And could this be a possible link with the missing coma patients. Ah, maybe those coma patients are the Shadow Dragons, or perhaps Cooler may have used a Human to seal his spirit in with maybe the helps of this Planet-Eater? (I'm probably way off and I'm probably not even making sense with this rambling, haha!) Twenty-Eight is mentioned again, this time through stars. There's a link here, and could this be a link with those Black-Star Dragon Balls and the person who created the ROSAT that you mentioned in XV somewhere in your bonus sections? Thanks for writing this and I await the next instalment**!

_A: Ah questions, questions, questions... to which I cannot answer (mu ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!) __Thanks very much for that review - I enjoyed reading it greatly! And thanks for picking up on the typo - I'll try and go through and correct Cooler plot has been layered in there all the way back to XV. I'm actually surprised that nobody guessed, or thought it might be him (I was sure the telekinesis would be a dead give away - to the point where I was debating whether to include it!) You're very astute in picking up on things and I'll certainly say that you're along the right lines with many of your workings out. The answers aren't too far away (and I'm now worried that they'll be too mundane and boring when they come!) I can say that that was the real Goten, but he's not dead (not yet anyway...). And of course I'm cool with you using that as your head-canon; I'm delighted when others use my reasoning and working out! It never made sense to me either, this explanation seemed like the most plausible one. When you think about it it must have been quite traumatic to turn from a good kid into that monster and then be responsible for your Dad's death. When you don't like fighting already it'd be a big incentive to stay away. Apologies again for taking so long - hope it didn't disappoint ^^;_

**Q: ****Oh...holy...crud. Now all the puzzle pieces are coming together. Kooler somehow managed to reincarnate himself or forcibly possess a human, right? That explains why Dabura & co. couldn't locate him in Hell. Goten is a little tougher to explain, but my theory is that the Shadow Dragons created a body double/android shell of him to lure the others into a trap. Pity only Vegeta figured it out, & he didn't do so in time... Now, the biggest question is, who are the other Shadow Dragons, & how is Kooler controlling them? They don't have ki, so that just about rules out dead souls from Hell (also, no halos). Androids seem logical, but there's still something I'm not seeing that ties everything together. Hmmm...maybe Maladie & his ilk have joined forces with Dr. Gero in Hell to fuse magic & technology? I know they promised to be good, but...villains aren't known for being trustworthy. Also, with Uub's wish, I fear that the Planet Eater is on a course for Earth, as it seems to have enough power to grant him his full strength.**

_A: _Thanks for your review - I very much enjoyed reading it! Basically you're correct about Cooler possessing a human. Exactly how he did will be revealed in due course, but yes that is also why his spirit was not there (as it had gone into the human body). I can say that Maladie has no direct involvement in this (being suitably cryptic there ;)) and that you're logical guess is likely correct (and exactly how and why revelations will be on their way). That was the actual Goten, though I seem to have confused people on this (sorry if I have ^_^;). He's currently suffering from 'locked-in-syndrome' where he is conscious, but has no control over his body, hence his appearing to be in a total vegetative state. In a round about way, you're correct regarding Uub's wish ;)

**Q: Jeez dude, you really know how to make a plot twist. My head is still spinning over these new events 0.o" And, well done for this story again! I was a little worried because, ya know, when making a sequel to a story, they dont' always work out. But, still, you made it work, and I am very happy! Jeez, I'm starting to love Vegeta with a cane! XD And the entire time, the shadow Dragons leader Omega... is Cooler?! So... does that mean the other Shadow Dragons are spirits too? Hmm, but how Cooler became like this... he killed his dad, he disappeared... I honestly thought that was it, we wouldn't hear the rest of him, you just added that scene for the heck of it. But, you proved me and probably a lot of other readers wrong! He somehow came back to life, but... like this... wow, I'm really curious how this will turn out. Like, how did he come back to life, why as a human, and how did he create the Shadow Dragons and who the other people are? Wow...And I love how you made these killer tense scenes with Goten, and show realistic settings like the King speaking with Kuriza and Goku going to see Pilaf. Shame he died, that was a sad scene, mixed with badassery from Goku becoming an enraged Super Saiyan. Mixed emotions :c Gah, either way, love your work! And I am talking out of my ass because you deserve it XD**

_A: Thanks very much - I always appreciate people talking out of their asses (when they say nice things)!  
><em>

_The answers regarding Cooler will be coming, but not for a bit yet (can't reveal all of the tricks at the start). But the other Shadow Dragons are not spirits - their the cyborgified coma patients who went missing (Cooler stole them away and made the modifications to them, turning them into his team). His plan has been gestating for a while now. I'm trying to mix things up with the more realistic scenes - particularly with Pilaf and the King. In DBZ we never really see the darker undercurrents of politics and humans (apart from the Red Ribbon Army), so I'm hopefully introducing some ideas of greater moral complexity and intrigue to affairs._

_**Q: **_**Good Chapter blah blah blah (Can't have you getting a swell head over all the outstanding reviews that you get, and get because you rightly deserve). I must have a fairly distinct writing pattern because despite the months in between I can recognize my questions and the ones that I asked but someone else asked better. Anyway on subject you know you don't actually have to spoil anything to tell us the mechanics of your world Androids 17 and 18 were in the last chapter. Can Z Fighters sense Androids in your world or not? It would make sense either way frankly. Z supports you can't. GT claims that you can. 18 having a kid confirms she is basically alive and human with add ons not a robot like 16 and Goku can clearly sense regular soldiers even though their ki would likely be around .1 (or whatever that farmer Raditz saw had.) Something small enough that I can understand it being something akin to spotting a gnat. It's not that you can't it's that you won't. Cooler escaped Hell. Guess we have to question how much stronger he got in Hell. If he weren't standing right next to Uub I'd assume that at best he's no more powerful than Stage 2 Cell but who knows. Good work on Bra and Pan. Considering I generally want to ship them into space and see how long a monkey can hold it's breath the fact that I'm only minorly annoyed with them is huge. Keep it up.**

_A: Thank you for the review - and not allowing my head to swell :P  
><em>

_With regards to the androids; yeah that really didn't need to be kept secret for so long... in any case the issue with sensing is like this: they could sense the androids (theoretically) but practically it's not possible. Basically ki/energy exists on a spectrum - like light. You have visible light, that everyone can see, and then you have a red-shifted light (radio waves, microwaves, infrared) and a blue-shifted light (ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays). What's happened here is that the Z-fighters and natural creatures ki operates on the red-shifted area, whereas the androids is operating on the blue-shifted area. So the Z-fighters have, analogically, trained themselves to see red-shifted light waves, but they can't see the blue-shifted light-waves. And it's the same with ki; hence why they can't sense the androids._

_Theoretically, of course, they could train themselves to do it - but as they've never had a knowledge of this, or how to achieve, it's not been possible. That at least is the XV/XVI canon._

_Time to wrap this up now, so once again apologies for the huge delay and thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing. The next chapter will be something of a lighter affair - a breather if you will - as the Z-fighters confront the most terrifying force they've ever encountered: the legal process._

_See you there!_


End file.
